Ecclesia Houston | Weekend Podcast and Liturgy: Recent Episodes
Ecclesia Houston
A collection of media, reflections, and resources from our weekend gatherings. For additional information on Ecclesia Houston visit us online at http://ecclesiahouston.org
So many of us grew up believing God is a judge waiting to catch us doing wrong, but today, Pastor Chris walks through Zephaniah, John 21, and the story of Peter's greatest failure to show a different picture. A God who delights in you, sings over you, and meets you with breakfast on the beach when you fall.
What if sin is about more than breaking rules? In this message from our A Faith for Today series, Erika Graham explores a richer biblical understanding of sin—not simply as rule-breaking, but as "missing the mark." Rather than leading us toward shame or perfectionism, Scripture invites us to recognize our need for God's grace and continue aiming our lives toward the way of Jesus.
Guest preacher Leroy Barber explores a powerful parallel between financial identity theft and the spiritual identity theft happening to followers of Jesus today. Just as we protect our bank accounts and credit with daily vigilance, Leroy challenges us to guard our identity in Christ with the same intentionality — rooted not in culture, politics, possessions, or achievement, but in who God says we are.
After a devastating earthquake hit the region near Caracas, Pastor Chris and our team traveled to Venezuela to stand with our long-time partners and grieving communities on the ground. This week we hear directly from that trip: the loss, the prayers, the families living in tents, and the question that kept coming up: what actually makes the church the church? Then Lucho shares his own story. From worship leader in Venezuela to working without a salary for a year, to losing everything during the country's economic collapse, to food banks and a phone call that changed everything. It's a story about showing up uncomfortable and trusting God with what comes next.
In this message, guest speaker Dr. Ruth López Turley explores one of Scripture's most consistent themes: caring for our neighbors. Yet while the call to compassion is clear, the way of Jesus often challenges our assumptions about generosity, deservingness, and responsibility.
What has technology done to us, and how do we live differently? Pastor Chris continues our series "A Faith for Today" by considering our relationship to an ever-evolving landscape of technology and faith.
In this message from our A Faith for Today series, Pastor Ericka reflects on Jesus' instructions to the apostles in Matthew 10 and what they might teach us about following Jesus today. As Jesus sends his followers out to heal, serve, and share good news, he also invites them into a life of trust, hospitality, and mutual dependence. Through stories of lost sermons, pet scorpions, music, and everyday faith, this message explores what it means to cultivate a faith that can grow, adapt, and endure through every season of life. Faith was never meant to remain static. It is something we practice, experience, and return to again and again as God continues to shape us over time. Whether you're navigating uncertainty, carrying disappointment, or simply wondering what faith looks like in this season, this message is an invitation to trust that God is still at work.
You can read every book ever written about friendship and still not know how to be a friend. You can study grief without ever really understanding it. And you can know all the right things about Christianity without ever actually experiencing God. Pastor Chris is launching our summer series, A Faith for Today, where we explore why Christianity was never meant to be an ideology you study from a distance.
Pastor Chris and a few of our high school seniors share about what it means to be a great dad.
What’s a big enough life to live for? As we enter a new season—whether it’s summer break, a new job, or a quieter home—this message invites us to reflect on the deeper rhythms of life. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 11 and the powerful tradition of the Lord’s Supper, this sermon kicks off our summer series, Faithful & Brave, by reminding us that we’re called to live lives that are faithful to our sacred inheritance and brave enough to move into God’s future.
What does it really mean to be a Christian? Pastor Chris reminds us that following Jesus isn’t just about believing the right things—it’s about becoming a people who belong to each other. Drawing from Acts 2 and Acts 4, this sermon is a call to live out the Nicene Creed through hospitality, shared rhythms, and courageous community. Pastor Chris invites us to jump off the proverbial high dive and take one small step into a deeper life of connection, generosity, and grace.
What if resurrection wasn’t a one-time event, but a continual journey—messy, real, and full of grace? In this final sermon on the Nicene Creed, Ericka Graham reflects on interdependence, the Holy Spirit, and the kind of strength that only comes through struggle.
This week’s message digs into the heart of the Nicene Creed, the incarnation of Jesus, and the call for every believer to live out a hands-on, mission-driven faith. Pastor Chris shares stories from a recent medical mission in Guatemala, including the powerful healing of a 12-year-old girl named Sara and reminds us that true Christianity isn't about staying clean and comfortable, but about stepping into the mess and loving radically.
As we continue from our Lenten series, Pastor Chris explores the spiritual discipline of silence and its power to reconnect us with God, ourselves, and one another. Drawing from voices like Blaise Pascal, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Merton, and even a Buddhist monk, this sermon invites us to turn down the volume of our lives—externally and internally—and rediscover the presence of God in the quiet.
Pastor Sean reflects on our deep desire to be heroes in our own stories—whether through success, beauty, influence, or achievement. But what if true purpose is found not in grand gestures, but in the small, everyday moments of faith? Through scripture, personal stories, and a prayer for daily surrender, Pastor Sean invites us to step away from self-centered striving and rest in the reality that we are already fully loved by God.
Are you tired of constantly striving for more, only to feel like it's never enough? In this inspiring sermon, we explore what it means to end the hustle for worthiness and embrace God's grace. Through relatable stories, biblical wisdom, and the powerful contrast between Mary and Martha in Luke 10, we uncover the truth that our value isn’t in what we do—but in who we are in Christ. Join us as Pastor Chris shares how the freeing reality that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more or less. Be encouraged, find rest, and rediscover the joy of simply being in His presence.
Pastor Chris explores our repeated mistakes and the invitation Lent offers to break free from those cycles. Drawing from Genesis and the story of Abraham and Isaac, we confront the fear-driven choices that keep us stuck and discover how to be reshaped by joy instead.
Pastor Chris explores the story of Jacob and Esau, uncovering how envy can keep us from fully living into our God-given identity. When we focus on what others have, we miss the beauty of what God has already placed within us. Join us as we dive into the Genesis narrative and discover how naming our beauty leads to freedom, purpose, and a life rooted in gratitude.
Pastor Sean explores the story of Abraham’s final days in Genesis 25 and uncovers key insights on how to live well so that we can die well. From owning our wrongs and responsibilities to being a force for reconciliation, we must consider the legacy we leave behind.
What does it mean to truly serve others in a world that often prioritizes self-interest? Pastor Chris explore Genesis 24 and the story of Rebekah’s radical hospitality—offering water not just to a stranger, but to his ten camels, an act of selfless generosity.
Pastor Chris explores the story of Hagar in Genesis 16, highlighting God's care for the broken and unseen. Through Hagar's story, we are invited to reflect on where we are from and where we are going in our own stories.
Through the story of Abram, Ericka Graham invites us to consider how we trust God, take risks, and deal with fear.
Pastor Chris discusses a healthy outlook on reading the beginning of Genesis. The beauty of this text can often get lost in the arguments, and the discourse, but Pastor Chris invites us to engage with the beauty of Genesis 1 & 2.
What is God’s blessing for you? Through the story of Jacob, Pastor Sean invites us to reflect on this question and challenges us to be curious about who God is shaping us to be.
As we look ahead to a new year, Pastor Wayne shares a message about the ways we must live and love in order to become the best version of ourselves that includes being humble, staying curious, and practicing gratitude.
Love is a word that is used loosely in our Western culture, so what do it really mean to love someone, much less to love all? In today's mesage Pastor Sean challenges us to a deeper love by being willing to sacrifice for those around us.
How do you give gifts that matter? In a season where gift-giving is front of mind, it can be easy to be swept away into a consumer mindset. Pastor Chris invites us to give better gifts to the people we love.
Pastor Sean teaches on what and how we spend with and through ourselves in the Advent season.
When was the last time you did anything fully? On this first Sunday of Advent, Pastor Sean challenges us to consider our presence as an act of worship. In an age of distraction, what would it mean to be fully present with the people in the room with us?
Pastor Chris shares a message that bridges our series in Acts with Advent that emphasizes our role in the Kingdom of God and that together we are the Priesthood of Believers able to make a tangible impact in our community and around the world.
Today Ericka Graham concludes the series on the Book of Acts with a message about the ways that the Holy Spirit is a force for unity and love.
How do Christians view their role in advocating for and holding positions of power? In the wake of the election, Pastor Chris recenters our focus on continuing to be the people of faith that God has called us to be and to not be distracted by the allure of power.
Who are you becoming? God calls us into transformation and renewal and urges us to leave behind the "old self" and embrace the new identity offered in Christ. Pastor Sean challenges us to examine areas in our lives where we might be clinging to a past belief or bias.
Pastor Sean continues our series in Acts with stories from Scripture and his own life. We get to hear how Peter learns that God builds no walls or barriers and that the Kingdom of God is an abundant, ever expanding movement of inclusivity and love.
Ericka Graham leads us through one of the most important biblical stories of our faith with the transformation of Saul to Paul. Ericka reminds us that through Jesus we have experienced this transformation alongside people in our lives.
What masks do you wear with God, others, or yourself? Ericka Graham closes out the series on the Rhythms of Ecclesia, with Be Real. In being real, we acknowledge our weaknesses and openly share with others during our times of celebration, mourning, and the things that lie in between.
Today we celebrated 25 years of loving and serving our community in Houston and across the globe. Hospitality is at the core of Ecclesia's ethos, and Pastor Chris celebrated stories of hospitality in and around our community of faith.
At Ecclesia, we believe that we are created to be open to sharing time, talents, and resources with others in love. Pastor Chris encourages us to see serving not as an obligation but rather as a life-giving joy.
What does it mean to truly be kind? It's more than being nice or polite. Kindness is something we give without expecting anything in return. This week Pastor Sean offers insights and stories into what true kindness looks like and how you can offer it to those around you.
How do we orient our lives around beauty? Pastor Chris encourages us to take the time to reflect on the beauty in the world around us.
Pastor Sean shares how Jesus invites us to seek the kingdom of God and what that looks like in our daily lives.
Pastor Chris sets up our fall series by reminding our community of a few postures we hold as a community that is committed to unity, diversity, and rhythms of life.
Pastor Chris talks about the roots of Ecclesia, telling stories and sharing scripture that motivated him to start Ecclesia Houston 25 years ago.
Today our dear friend, Dave Gibbons, visited us as a guest speaker to share about his experiences growing up as an Asian-American, how the events of his life lead him to grow in God's love and grace, and his journey to discover forgiveness. These stories and many more are a part of his memoir, The Shape of My Eyes.
Why do we care when things are broken? Pastor Sean concludes our series on the Fruit of the Spirit by speaking on Peace. We are invited to see the fragmentation in our lives as opportunities to seek repair and peace.
Is knowledge alone enough for spiritual growth? Ericka Graham invites us to explore experiential knowledge that transcends our minds and engages our hearts.
Pastor Sean invites us to examine how we embody the fruit of the Spirit by beginning with Love; it all begins with Love.
Kicking off our new series, Pastor Chris invites us to view our spiritual growth and maturity through the lens of a vineyard. He offers a few ways of living that help cultivate the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
Pastor Sean continues the friendship sermon series by telling stories from his life as well as from Scripture. He talks about the different types of healthy friendships and what they look like in action.
Pastor Chris launches our new series around Friendship with a look at what the Scriptures and C.S Lewis say about the value of true friends.
If you look around, it feels like the world is going crazy, and the decisions we make are incredibly important to be the type of church and be the type of people that Jesus has called us to be. That means we tune out the noise, remember THE story, never give in to fear, and no matter what, be a blessing. Today Pastor Chris wraps up our series on Acts with a profound and timely message on what it looks like to follow Jesus when the crowds are stirred up and the world feels chaotic.
Pastor Ericka shares a message about how we, as people of God, are empowered by the Holy Spirit by love and to love every 'other' on our journey, even our enemies.
This week Pastor Sean preaches on Acts 8:26- 40 and discusses topics of inclusion and our ability to see ourselves in scripture, and most importantly, that Jesus is for everyone.
Pastor Sean Palmer challenges us to rethink how we view power. Through the book of Acts and the story of the Civil Rights movement, we are invited to see the way that real lasting change is made through everyday actions.
Rochelle Palmer tells stories of mothers in her life with beautiful and tragic stories, and shares how Jesus and the disciples taught us how to journey through life holding grief and joy all at the same time.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues through our series in the book of Acts sharing and invites us to consider whether we value people or what a relationship can give us. Through the story of Peter's imprisonment and release, we see how the early Church began to grow.
Pastor Chris invites us into a new initiative inspired by the actions of Barnabas from the Book of Acts.
Ericka Graham challenges us to believe and see the power of resurrection in our everyday lives. She guides us through chapters 3 & 4 of the Book of Acts and leads us to three important points: 1. God often invites us to heal, instead of offering us what we "want" 2. Resurrection is a beginning and not an ending 3. The church is not in the business of "charity," it is in the business of Resurrection.
Pastor Sean is continuing the sermon series on the book of Acts and shares stories from scripture in Acts 2. He invites us to consider that the Holy Spirit dwells in us all and that God's good news is good for ALL, no matter who you are, what you've done or where you're from.
This week Pastor Chris launches a new series called 'Beyond Us" where we will be joining together to read through the book of Acts and learning what it means to be a Christian and be the church in our diverse context.
He Is Risen! Ecclesia family we wish you a very Happy Easter as we celebrate Jesus' resurrection through story, song and worship.
What do a mustard seed and Palm Sunday have in common? Ericka Graham continues our series looking at the parables of Jesus and examines the theology of a mustard seed.
Pastor Sean continues our series through the parables in the book of Matthew by focusing on the "Parable of the Unforgiving Servant". Jesus challenges us to choose into Kingdom living through virtue instead of value.
Pastor Chris leads us through the parable of the wedding banquet and shows us how we were made to celebrate the joy and fulfillment found in accepting God's invitation to be part of His kingdom. We learn that our purpose is to experience the abundant life that God offers through a relationship with Him. Celebrating encompasses a life filled with gratitude, worship, and obedience to God's will.
Pastor Chris invites us to reflect on our freely given, not earned, grace and what that means for how we live, work, and love as people of God.
Pastor Chris takes us to the Colombia/Venezuela border and shares about the work and lives of our partners at La Frontera Church. Continuing in our series on the parables of Jesus, Pastor Chris encourages us be the type of people who act our of faith and not fear and invest what we've been given to God.
Our new series "The Kingdom" focuses on the parables of Jesus in the book of Matthew. Pastor Sean invites us into the parable of the sower to wrestle with the question "Does what I do or who I invest into really matter?"
Pastor Sean Palmer finishes our series "Hearing The Voice" with practical wisdom for reading the Bible.
Pastor Chris invites us to read the bible with Jesus as the cornerstone and how that will inform the reflection of our shared humanity and belovedness.
Pastor Sean Palmer explores the role of the prophets in the Old Testament and invites us to consider our own role in our world today. The prophets came with a Kingdom vision in a silencing culture to bring justice and call people back to God .
Join us for week 2 of Hearing the Voice, series on reading, understanding, and growing in appreciation of The Bible. This week pastor Chris discusses the ways ancient cultures interpreted the events of their lives through the story of Abraham and Isaac and challenged us with the idea that our salvation isn't about us and that there is nothing we can do to earn God's love.
Pastor Sean reminds us of how the story of humanity (our story) is reflected in scripture and what that means for how we live and relate to each other.
A lot of us come to the Bible with different experiences and ideas. As we restart the new year, Pastor Chris kicks off a new series around re-discovering what it means to engage the Bible.
Pastor Wayne Brown shares some of his story from the past year and invites us to consider how God may speak to us as we arrive in 2024.
Pastor Sean explores what it means to spend less by spending more on presence and time with those that we love.
Pastor Chris Seay continues our Advent series with a simple question, what does it mean to love all? He unpacks 1 John 3:16 which offers a particular challenge: "If a person owns the kinds of things we need to make it in the world but refuses to share with those in need, is it even possible that God's love lives in him?" Pastor Chris offers a simple answer to this challenge and it is radical generosity. As you approach this season of Advent and begin to wait expectantly for Jesus, we invite you to love everyone by showing grace, peace, patience and generosity.
Pastor Sean Palmer invites us into the season Advent by inviting us into the story of the Wise Men in Matthew. As you approach this season and begin to wait expectantly for Jesus, Sean invites you to Worship Fully with the time, talents and resources you have been given.
Today Pastor Chris delves into a powerful exploration of faith, sharing personal experiences of cultural exposure that reshaped his understanding of Christianity. The emphasis shifts our perspective from a traditional focus on morality and rule-keeping to a profound appreciation for justice and righteousness. The transformative impact of encountering different cultural perspectives is highlighted, illustrating how embracing diversity can save one's faith. Join us on this spiritual journey, recognizing that true Christianity involves a worldview centered on God's restorative justice and the belief that He is working to resurrect and make everything right.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our series in the Beatitudes and challenges us to continue to hunger for justice even in the midst of seemingly impossible problems.
Pastor Chris continues our series on the Beatitudes as he reflects on the call for peacemakers, the pursuit of justice, and the importance of understanding differing perspectives. With empathy and insight, he examines how these biblical teachings can be practically applied to the multifaceted layers of the conflict happening in the Middle East, fostering understanding and laying the groundwork for reconciliation and peacebuilding.
Pastor Chris invites us to reflect on what the Scriptures say about why and how we mourn and grieve, as the people of God.
What does it mean to be "poor in spirit"? Ericka Graham continues our series on the Beatitudes by sharing the paradoxes that Jesus presents in the Beatitudes and challenges us to redefine what we consider blessed.
This week Pastor Sean Palmer introduces are new series on The Beatitudes and talks about what it means to be blessed.
What do you have in your hands? Pastor Chris encourages us to consider the time, talents, and resources we have as gift to be given instead of things to hoard.
Sean Palmer shares with us the profound truth that our worth is not determined by what we do, but by who we are at the core of our being. When work becomes our idol, we fail to live into the truth that God is the only one who is relentlessly faithful to us, and is the place where our vision and meaning lies.
How do we show up as followers of Jesus in our places of work? Pastor Sean challenges us to consider our skills & talents as gifts to be given to the people we interact with at our places of work.
Pastor Chris delivers a profound message that delves deep into the essence of hard work, shedding light on its significance in our lives and emphasizing the crucial importance of not just the work itself, but also the manner in which we undertake it.
What do we do when are in conflict with our moral ethics? This week Pastor Chris continues teaching on the concept of moral injury and shares Rita Nakashima's writing and teachings on this idea, including the 10 step process we go through to repair our souls.
Pastor Chris & Ericka Graham kick off our new series that will challenge us all to view our vocation as sacred. Whether you work in an office, are staying home raising children or are retired, the work we engage with is sacred.
What do we do when are in conflict with our moral ethics? Pastor Chris explores the concept of moral injury and shares Rita Nakashima's writing and teachings on this idea. He provides a few suggestions for a path forward when we are in need of soul repair.
Scripture References 1 Corinthians 8:7-10
7 But this knowledge is not in everyone. Up until now, some have been so familiar with idols and what goes on in the temples that when they eat meat that has been offered first to some idol, their weak consciences are polluted. This is the issue. 8 Again, here’s what we know: what we eat will not bring us closer to God—we gain nothing in feasting and lose nothing by fasting. 9 Now let me warn you: don’t let your newfound liberty cause those who don’t know this to fall face-first.
10 Let’s say a person (someone who knows of Jesus) sees you eating in the temple of an idol; and because the person with a weaker conscience is still unsure of things, he becomes confident, follows your lead, and eats idol food.
Romans 14:2
Here’s the issue: One person believes that nothing’s off the menu; he’ll eat any food put before him. But there’s another believer—we’ll call him the weaker—who eats only vegetables because the meat is tainted through contact with an idol.
Hebrews 10:21-25
21 Since we have a great High Priest who presides over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with true hearts full of faith, with hearts rinsed clean of any evil conscience, and with bodies cleansed with pure water. 23 Let us hold strong to the confession of our hope, never wavering, since the One who promised it to us is faithful. 24 Let us consider how to inspire each other to greater love and to righteous deeds, 25 not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten, but encouraging each other, especially as the day of His return approaches.
Hebrews 13:18-19
18-19 Pray for us, for we have no doubt that our consciences are clean and that we seek to live honestly in all things. But please pray for me that I may be restored to you even more quickly.
Guest speaker Rochelle Palmer invites us into her story of women in leadership & the Church. Through her story, Rochelle invites us to be a hospitable, welcoming & unified Church as we serve and care for others.
The story and faith of Sojourner Truth inspire us to live a life of justice. Pastor Chris tells the story of Sojourner's fight for justice and trust in Jesus and invites us to re-examine how we live our own lives.
Hospitality can mean different things to different people. For some it is opening their home, for others it is providing meals to those in need, and still for others it could mean something completely different. This week Lisa Trevino shares stories from her own life in connection with the woman that washed the feet of Jesus with her hair and tears to talk about the ways The Bible calls us to approach hospitality as we engage others in the world around us.
The story of Ruth & Naomi teaches about what it means to depend on one another and offer presence to each other. Ericka Graham continues in our series titled Tell Her Story, by inviting us into the story of Ruth & Naomi.
Ericka Graham shares the story of Deborah and Jael and invites us to reimagine how we view leadership and authority. These powerful women in Scripture teach us a lot about collaboration, humility & strength.
Pastor Chris kicks off a new series called "Tell Her Story." Over the next several weeks we will be focusing on women in the Bible and their stories of faith and leadership. Today, Pastor Chris recounts the story of Hagar, Sarah & Abraham and invites us to reimagine how we balance the humanity of these figures of our faith.
Guest Speaker, Carlos Rodriguez, invites us to be open to change. Through his story of ministry, Carlos invites us to be open to God's movement in our life.
Our friend Marcelo Robles joins Pastor Chris in sharing a message about hope and friendship and invites us to act in supporting our friends in Argentina.
Happy Father's Day! This Sunday we are excited to have Ed Seay, Pastor Chris's dad, join us to share a message for fathers. He shares stories of highs and lows of fatherhood and some things he has learned along the way.
Pastor Mike shares that benediction is reminder that we are a beloved people whom God gathers, that then become a chosen people whom God sends.
Welcome to The Ecclesia Podcast, a place where we share stories and conversations about what it means to live in a holistic, Christian, missional community. In this episode, Pastor Chris sits down with Pastor Mike to discuss his time at Ecclesia as he prepares to move on to a new season planting his own church in SW Houston.
At Ecclesia, our mission is to be a community that seeks to follow Jesus in all areas of life, and that includes our worship. We believe that there are many ways to worship God beyond just music and Sunday gatherings. If you're interested in learning more about our church community in Houston, Texas, please visit our website at www.ecclesiahouston.org. There you can learn more about ways to connect in small groups where you can share stories and remember together.
Thank you for listening to The Ecclesia Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more thought-provoking conversations about what it means to live in holistic, Christian community.
The miracle of Pentecost remind us of who we are as a church. This story invites is to imagine a new world, requires community, and celebrates differences while uniting under a shared vision and spirit.
LIVE TEACHING PODCAST SCRIPTURES & REFERENCES Acts 2:1-4
1 When the holy day of Pentecost came 50 days after Passover, they were gathered together in one place.
2 Picture yourself among the disciples:
A sound roars from the sky without warning, the roar of a violent wind, and the whole house where you are gathered reverberates with the sound. 3 Then a flame appears, dividing into smaller flames and spreading from one person to the next.
4 All the people present are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin speaking in languages they’ve never spoken, as the Spirit empowers them.
Acts 2:5-21
5 Because of the holy festival, there are devout Jews staying as pilgrims in Jerusalem from every nation under the sun. 6 They hear the sound, and a crowd gathers. They are amazed because each of them can hear the group speaking in their native languages. 7 They are shocked and amazed by this.
Pilgrims: Just a minute. Aren’t all of these people Galileans? 8 How in the world do we all hear our native languages being spoken?
9 Look—there are Parthians here, and Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamians, and Judeans, residents of Cappadocia, Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygians and Pamphylians, Egyptians and Libyans from Cyrene, Romans including both Jews by birth and converts, 11 Cretans, and Arabs. We’re each, in our own languages, hearing these people talk about God’s powerful deeds.
12 Their amazement becomes confusion as they wonder,
Pilgrims: What does this mean?
Skeptics: 13 It doesn’t mean anything. They’re all drunk on some fresh wine!
14 As the twelve stood together, Peter shouted to the crowd,
Peter: Men of Judea and all who are staying here in Jerusalem, listen. I want you to understand: 15 these people aren’t drunk as you may think. Look, it’s only nine o’clock in the morning! 16 No, this isn’t drunkenness; this is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. 17 Hear what God says!
In the last days, I will offer My Spirit to humanity as a libation. Your children will boldly speak the word of the Lord. Young warriors will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams. 18 Yes, in those days I shall offer My Spirit to all servants, both male and female, and they will boldly speak My word.
19 And in the heaven above and on the earth below, I shall give signs of impending judgment: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke. 20 The sun will become a void of darkness, and the moon will become blood. Then the great and dreadful day of the Lord will arrive, 21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be liberated into God’s freedom and peace.
How do you spend your time? As we consider our relationship to time, we have to reflect on how we spend time. This week Pastor Sean guides us through a way to think about time & faith.
Live Teaching Podcast Scriptures & References Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
——
3 You turn us[b] back to dust
and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
are like yesterday when it is past
or like a watch in the night.
—
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.
10 The days of our life are seventy years
or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span[d] is only toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger?
Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
—
12 So teach us to count our days
that we may gain a wise heart.
Welcome to the Ecclesia podcast, a place where we share stories and conversations about what it means to live in a holistic, Christian, missional community. In this episode, our teaching pastors Chris Seay and Sean Palmer sit down to wrap up the series we just finished about remembering. Remembering is an important part of worship. We remember when we read scripture, share stories, sing, gather, and more. And in this practice we remind each other and ourselves of the ways we have experienced God in our lives which serves as a reminder of the ways God will continue to show up as we go about our lives.
At Ecclesia, our mission is to be a community that seeks to follow Jesus in all areas of life, and that includes our worship. We believe that there are many ways to worship God beyond just music and Sunday gatherings. If you're interested in learning more about our church community in Houston, Texas, please visit our website at www.ecclesiahouston.org. There you can learn more about ways to connect in small groups that enjoy moving their bodies, including a running group!
Thank you for listening to The Ecclesia Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more thought-provoking conversations about living a Christian life.
Guest speaker, Rochelle Palmer, shares three stories from Scripture that shaped her story as she navigates grief, joy & friendship.
Live Teaching Podcast Scriptures & References Gen. 32:22-30 22
The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life is preserved.”
Dan. 3:1-23
King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up.
So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up, and they stood before it.
4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed, “Nations and peoples of every language, this is what you are commanded to do: 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “May the king live forever! 10 Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.”
13 Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.
22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, 23 and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Luke 15:11-32
11 Then Jesus said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. 13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. 14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need.
15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 16 He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ 20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 21 Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate, 24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his elder son was in the field, and as he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 27 He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf because he has got him back safe and sound.’ 28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him.
29 But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command, yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’
31 Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”
When Wayne was in charge of the movement portion of Kid's Camp in 2020, he used a very simple phrase that resonated deeply with not only the kids, but adults as well, "God made your body, and your body is good." While on the surface this is a simple concept, it unlocked a number of good conversations around Ecclesia regarding what does it mean to have a body, and what does it look like to worship God with our bodies. In this episode of the podcast Wayne sits down with Eric to have a conversation around the topic of worship through the act of moving your body. They covered things such as body positivity, what it means to embrace discomfort, and Wayne also shares about his own journey with exploring his own relationship with his body over the course of his life.
At Ecclesia, our mission is to be a community that seeks to follow Jesus in all areas of life, and that includes our worship. We believe that there are many ways to worship God beyond just music and Sunday gatherings. If you're interested in learning more about our church community in Houston, Texas, please visit our website at www.ecclesiahouston.org. There you can learn more about ways to connect in small groups that enjoy moving their bodies, including a running group!
Thank you for listening to The Ecclesia Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more thought-provoking conversations about living a Christian life.
When most people hear the word worship they either think of a type of music, or about gathering together at a church for a service, but really worship means so much more than that. As we jump into a new season of The Ecclesia Podcast we wanted to begin with an examination of what it looks like to worship holistically, with our mind, body, and spirit, and to worship with every part of our lives. In this episode, our guests Alexandra and Misty join us to explore the topic of contemplative spiritual practices as a form of worship.
In today's fast-paced and hectic world, there is very little silence and stillness. However, through contemplative practices such as meditation, centering prayer, and lectio divina, we can connect with God in a deeper, more intimate way. Our guests share their own experiences with these practices and how they have helped them grow closer to God.
Whether you are in the Houston area or part of the larger Christian community, we invite you to join us as we dive into the beauty of contemplative practices and how they can help us connect with God, as well as the world around us. You'll learn practical tips for incorporating these practices into your daily life, as well as insights on how they can enhance your spiritual journey.
At Ecclesia, our mission is to be a community that seeks to follow Jesus in all areas of life, and that includes our worship. We believe that there are many ways to worship God beyond just music and Sunday gatherings.
If you're interested in learning more about our church community in Houston, Texas, please visit our website at www.ecclesiahouston.org. There you can learn more about our guided spiritual contemplative practice called Be Still, where we explore ways to connect with God through silence and stillness.
Thank you for listening to The Ecclesia Podcast. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more thought-provoking conversations about living a Christian life. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with others who might benefit from these insights on contemplative practices as a form of worship.
One of the reasons we listen and engage with teaching and preaching each week is to re-engage with the stories & messages of the Scriptures. Pastor Sean invites us to consider why we need this continual act of engagement with the Scriptures through teaching and preaching.
Live Teaching PodcastScriptures & References“What makes the difference to our behaviour is less what we believe than the phenomenon of being reminded, even subconsciously, of what we believe.” — Ara Nozorayan
When everyone had settled, they re-gathered in Jerusalem. Everyone met in the square that is in front of the water gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the book of the law, the word the Eternal sent through Moses to Israel. 2 Ezra the priest did as they asked, bringing God’s law to Israel. The community included both men and women—anyone who was able to understand was welcomed. This gathering took place on the first day of the seventh month. 3 Facing the people in the square, next to the water gate, he began to read excerpts. The document was massive, and just reading parts took him six or seven hours, from daybreak until noon. Everyone who was there heard him: men, women—anyone with the ability to understand. As he read, they were focused and listened carefully to the book of the law.
4 And as he read, Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden platform made for this very occasion.
Nehemiah 8:1-4
Ezra opened the book of the law. As he opened the book, everyone stood. 6 Then Ezra called out and blessed the Eternal, worshiping God’s greatness. With their hands raised to the heavens, the people called out loudly in response, crying, “Amen! So may it be!” Then they fell to their knees and bowed. With their faces to the ground, they worshiped the Eternal. 7-8 Ezra read the law, the people listened, and the Levites explained it to them….
Now, as God’s law was read, the people began to weep. But Nehemiah (the Persians’ appointed governor), Ezra the priest and scribe, and all the ministering Levites said to the people,
Leaders: This day is sacred to the Eternal One, your God. It is not a day for mourning and weeping.
Ezra: 10 Go back to your homes, and prepare a feast. Bring out the best food and drink you have, and welcome all to your table, especially those who have nothing. This day is special. It is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve over your past mistakes. Let the Eternal’s own joy be your protection!
Nehemiah 8:5b-10
“The destructive quality of spiritual amnesia is that we forget the promise in light of the problem, and we also forget the times when the provision was made for us and we found ourselves standing safe and secure on the other side.”
― Casey Tygrett, As I Recall: Discovering the Place of Memories in Our Spiritual Life
“We live at a time when we believe we should have no story, except the story we chose when we had no story. We call this freedom.” -- Walter Brueggemen
Nehemiah 5:19
Nehemiah: 19 Remember me for the good I have done, my True God, for how I have served Your people.
Nehemiah 13:14
Nehemiah: 14 O God—my God—remember this good thing I have done. Do not forget the way I have served Your temple and its servants.
Nehemiah 13:22b
Nehemiah: O God—my God—remember my actions. Because of Your great love, show me mercy.
Nehemiah 13:31
Nehemiah: O God—my God—remember me with favor.
Also (in Neh. 6:14 and 13:29) he asks God to remember those who were against him and against Israel, for he knew that only God would deal justly with His enemies.
Nehemiah 6:14
My God, remember Tobiah and Sanballat, according to these their works, and the prophetess who would have made me afraid.
Nehemiah 13:29
Nehemiah: 29 O God—my God—remember how these men polluted the priesthood and the sacred vows of the priests and Levites.
We all walk through challenges, but we are better equipped for them when facing them together with friends and family. This week Pastor Chris continues our series on remembering by talking about the value of living life in community.
Live Teaching PodcastScriptures & references“I often found myself preferring the company of people outside my congregation, men and women who did not follow Jesus. Or worse, preferring the company of my sovereign self. But soon I found that my preferences were honored by neither Scripture nor Jesus. I didn't come to the conviction easily, but finally there was no getting around it: there can be no maturity in the spiritual life, no obedience in following Jesus, no wholeness in the Christian life apart from immersion and embrace of community. I am not myself by myself. Community, not the highly vaunted individualism of our culture, is the setting in which Christ is at play.”
— Eugene Peterson
“The opposite of addiction Isn’t sobriety - its connection!”
— Johan Hare
“Movie sets are so weird now, as actors no longer get drunk and fall in love with each other because of mobile phones. It's so sad.”
— Hugh Grant
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
Again I observed another example of how fleeting life is under the sun: 8 a person who is all alone—with no child, no sibling—yet he works hard his entire life. Still he is never satisfied with the wealth he gains. Does he stop to ask, “Why am I working so hard?” or “Why am I depriving myself of life’s simple pleasures?” This, too, is fleeting, like trying to catch hold of a breath; it’s a miserable situation.
9 Two are better than one because a good return comes when two work together. 10 If one of them falls, the other can help him up. But who will help the pitiful person who falls down alone? 11 In the same way, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm. But how will the one who sleeps alone stay warm against the night? 12 And if one person is vulnerable to attack, two can drive the attacker away. As the saying goes, “A rope made of three strands is not quickly broken.”
To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves
Love one another (John 13:34)
Be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
Build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15, 25)
Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
Consider others better than yourselves Philippians 2:3)
Look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
Bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13)
Stir up [provoke, stimulate] one another to love and good works
Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
Employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one and Clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
Pray for one another (James 5:16)
Confess your faults to one another (James 5:16)
We live in a world that dis-members us from who we are. Worship re-members us, so that we can re-member the world. So, when we worship, we are reminding ourselves what God has done and not only that, but what God is doing and going to do.
Scripture & References“That is part of what makes religion a force for honest and altruistic behaviour: the belief that God sees what we do…Less obvious is the experimental finding that what makes the difference to the way we behave is not simply what we believe, but rather the fact of being reminded of it.” - Jonathan Sacks
“Eternal One: 2 I am the Eternal your God. I led you out of Egypt and liberated you from lives of slavery and oppression.” - Exodus 20:2
“Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.” - Isaiah 46:9
“Then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Deuteronomy 6:12
“what makes the difference to our behaviour is less what we believe than the phenomenon of being reminded, even subconsciously, of what we believe.” - Ara Nozoraya
Jesus: 15 It has been My deep desire to eat this Passover meal with you before My suffering begins. 16 Know this: I will not eat another Passover meal until its meaning is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17 He took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it.
Jesus: Take this; share it among yourselves. 18 Know this: I will not drink another sip of wine until the kingdom of God has arrived in fullness.
19 Then He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and shared it with them.
Jesus: This is My body, My body given for you. Do this to remember Me.
Luke 22:15-19
“Worship is humble and glad; worship forgets itself in remembering God; worship celebrates the truth as God's truth, not its own.” - For All God’s Worth - NT WRIGHT
No, what I want in a fast is this:
to liberate those tied down and held back by injustice,
to lighten the load of those heavily burdened,
to free the oppressed and shatter every type of oppression.
7 A fast for Me involves sharing your food with people who have none,
giving those who are homeless a space in your home,
Giving clothes to those who need them, and not neglecting your own family.
8 Then, oh then, your light will break out like the warm, golden rays of a rising sun;
in an instant, you will be healed.
Your rightness will precede and protect you;
the glory of the Eternal will follow and defend you.
9 Then when you do call out, “My God, Where are You?”
The Eternal One will answer, “I am here, I am here.”
If you remove the yoke of oppression from the downtrodden among you,
stop accusing others, and do away with mean and inflammatory speech,
10 If you make sure that the hungry and oppressed have all that they need,
then your light will shine in the darkness,
And even your bleakest moments will be bright as a clear day.
11 The Eternal One will never leave you;
He will lead you in the way that you should go.
When you feel dried up and worthless,
God will nourish you and give you strength.
And you will grow like a garden lovingly tended;
you will be like a spring whose water never runs out.
Isaiah 58:6-11
Pastor Chris and our story team visited Turkey during Holy Week where they met with our friend Diego who is there working alongside local churches doing earthquake relief. This week Pastor Chris brings us a message from Turkey about what it looks like to join together as a global church and lean in when disaster strikes. You will also hear some of Diego's story as well as some of the story of Pastor Chenc, a pastor from Istanbul who is now running a tent city in Turkey.
Live Teaching Podcast
Pastor Chris leads us in an Easter message from Turkey offering us message of hope and resurrection.
LIVE TEACHING PODCAST
When we live into what is rather than what used to be, we engage in the act of surrender. This Palm Sunday, Pastor Sean Palmer shares how Jesus showed up and reminded us what it means to surrender well.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & References “The Paschal Mystery…is a process of transformation within which we are given both new life and new spirit. It begins with suffering and death, moves on to the reception of new life, spends some time grieving the old and adjusting to the new, and finally only after the old life has been truly let go of, is new spirit given foe the life we are already living.”
- Ronald Rolheiser, The Holy Longing: The Search For A Christian Spirituality, pg 147
You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a moment
And now you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better
Now you're stuck in a moment
And you can't get out of it
— U2, Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of
John 12:20-28
20 Among the crowds traveling to Jerusalem were Greeks seeking to follow God and worship at the great feast. 21-22 Some of them came to Philip with an important request.
Greek Pilgrims (to Philip): Sir, we are hoping to meet Jesus.
Philip, a disciple from the Galilean village of Bethsaida, told Andrew that these Greeks wanted to see Jesus. Together Andrew and Philip approached Jesus to inform Him about the request.
Jesus (to Philip and Andrew): 23 The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24 I tell you the truth: unless a grain of wheat is planted in the ground and dies, it remains a solitary seed. But when it is planted, it produces in death a great harvest. 25 The one who loves this life will lose it, and the one who despises it in this world will have life forevermore. 26 Anyone who serves Me must follow My path; anyone who serves Me will want to be where I am, and he will be honored by the Father. 27 My spirit is low and unsettled. How can I ask the Father to save Me from this hour? This hour is the purpose for which I have come into the world. But what I can say is this: 28 “Father, glorify Your name!”
Change is almost always a beginning and an ending if we have the courage to see it that way. Through the story of Jesus & Lazarus, Ericka Graham guides us into a new way of thinking about change.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & ReferencesJohn 11
11 There was a certain man who was very ill. He was known as Lazarus from Bethany, which is the hometown of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 Mary did a beautiful thing for Jesus. She anointed the Lord with a pleasant-smelling oil and wiped His feet with her hair. Her brother Lazarus became deathly ill, 3 so the sisters immediately sent a message to Jesus which said, “Lord, the one You love is very ill.” 4 Jesus heard the message.
Jesus: His sickness will not end in his death but will bring great glory to God. As these events unfold, the Son of God will be exalted.
5 Jesus dearly loved Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. 6 However, after receiving this news, He waited two more days where He was.
Martha: 21 Lord, if You had been with us, my brother would not have died. 22 Even so I still believe that anything You ask of God will be done.
Jesus: 23 Your brother will rise to life.
Martha: 24 I know. He will rise again when everyone is resurrected on the last day.
Jesus: 25 I am the resurrection and the source of all life; those who believe in Me will live even in death. 26 Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never truly die. Do you believe this?
Martha: 27 Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Anointed, the Liberating King, God’s own Son who we have heard is coming into the world.
28 After this Martha ran home to Mary.
Mary: Lord, if only You had been here, my brother would still be alive.
33 When Jesus saw Mary’s profound grief and the moaning and weeping of her companions, He was deeply moved by their pain in His spirit and was intensely troubled.
Jesus: 34 Where have you laid his body?
Jews: Come and see, Lord.
35 As they walked, Jesus wept; 36 and everyone noticed how much Jesus must have loved Lazarus. 37 But others were skeptical.
Others: If this man can give sight to the blind, He could have kept him from dying.
38 Then Jesus, who was intensely troubled by all of this, approached the tomb—a small cave covered by a massive stone.
Jesus: 39 Remove the stone.
Martha: Lord, he has been dead four days; the stench will be unbearable.
Jesus: 40 Remember, I told you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God.
41 They removed the stone, and Jesus lifted His eyes toward heaven.
Jesus: Father, I am grateful that You have heard Me. 42 I know that You are always listening, but I proclaim it loudly so that everyone here will believe You have sent Me.
43 After these words, He called out in a thunderous voice.
Jesus: Lazarus, come out! (
44 Then, the man who was dead walked out of his tomb bound from head to toe in a burial shroud.
Jesus: Untie him, and let him go.
In American culture we wear busyness and productivity as a badge of honor. Laptops and cell phones mean we are connected and available 24/7. But this is not how we are designed to function; in fact, God calls us to regular rest and reflection.
On this 4th Sunday of Lent, in a season focused on caring for our souls to prepare ourselves for celebration of the resurrection and the coming of Jesus, join us as Sean and Rochelle Palmer share with us about how to engage with the celebration of Sabbath, a holy day of rest.
Live Teaching PodcastScriptures and References“Six days a week we wrestle with the world, wringing profit from the earth; on the Sabbath we especially care for the seed of eternity planted in the soul. The world has our hands, but our soul belongs to Someone Else.”
--Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, The Sabbath
Exodus 31:12-17
12 The Eternal One instructed Moses regarding the Sabbath.
Eternal One: 13 Speak to the Israelites and tell them, “You must be careful to observe My Sabbaths. For the Sabbath Day serves as a sign between Me and you for all generations, so that you will know I am the Eternal One who has set you apart from all the other nations. 14 Keep the Sabbath because it is a sacred day for you, different from all other days. Anyone who violates the Sabbath or defiles it must be executed; anyone who works on the Sabbath will be cut off from the community. 15 You have six days out of every week to do whatever work is needed, but the seventh day is the Sabbath, a day set aside for rest and only rest. It is sacred to Me. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be executed. 16 Therefore, the Israelites are to keep the Sabbath and celebrate it throughout all their generations as an everlasting covenant. 17 The Sabbath exists as a sign forever of the covenant between Me and the people of Israel for I made heaven and earth in six days, but then on the seventh day I stopped My work and was refreshed.”
Mark 2:23-27
23 One Sabbath Jesus and His disciples were walking through a field of grain; as they walked, His disciples grew hungry. They began to pull from the stalks and eat.
24 The Pharisees confronted Him.
Pharisees: Did You see that? Why are Your disciples doing what our law forbids on the Sabbath?
Jesus (turning toward the Pharisees): 25 Do you remember the story about what King David and his followers did when they were hungry and had nothing to eat?
They said nothing, so He continued.
Jesus: 26 David went into the house of God, when Abiathar was the high priest, and ate the bread that was consecrated to God. Now our laws say no one but the priests can eat that holy bread; but when David was hungry, he ate and also shared the bread with those who followed him.[a]
27 The Sabbath was made for the needs of human beings, and not the other way around.
Praise to You, oh Lord our God, Sovereign of all: who distinguishes between the holy and ordinary, between light and dark, between Israel and the nations, between the seventh day and the six days of work. Praise to You, Adonai who distinguishes the holy and ordinary.
SHAVUA TOV
We live an era of abundance and can forget how to celebrate what God has given us. Pastor Chris continues in the third week of lent by inviting us to slow down in gratitude. He reminds us that as we feast on Sundays, to do so with a posture of intention, presence, and thankfulness.
LIVE TEACHING PODCASTSCRIPTURE & REFERENCESNumbers 11:4-15
4 A contingent of Israelites had a strong craving for different food, and the Israelites started complaining again.
Israelites: Who will give us meat to eat? 5 Remember in Egypt when we could eat whatever amount of fish we wanted, or even the abundant cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But this, this can hardly be called food at all! 6 Our appetites have dried up. All we ever have to look at is manna, manna, manna.
7-9 The thing about the manna is this: It is like coriander seed but the golden color of gum resin, falling on the camp with the morning dew. The people could just walk around and pick it up. After grinding it with millstones to a kind of flour or crushing it with a mortar, they boiled it in a pot and then formed it into patties. These tasted something like cake prepared with oil, a kind of sweet bread.
10 Well, Moses overheard the people in all the clans moaning at the door of their tents about the manna. The Eternal grew really angry again, and Moses thought the whole situation was wrong.
Moses (to the Lord): 11 Why are You so hard on me? I am your devoted servant. Why don’t You look on me with affection? Why do I have the great burden of these spiteful people? 12 Did I conceive them, bear them, and give birth to them? Why should You tell me to carry them—as a nanny does some suckling infant—into the land that You swore to their ancestors? 13 And now, where am I supposed to find meat to feed this crowd crying out that I give them food to eat? 14 I simply cannot keep carrying them along. They are way too heavy. 15 If You plan to treat me like this, then just kill me now. If You care about me at all, just put me out of my misery so I do not have to live out this distress.
Matthew 22:2-8
Jesus: 2 The kingdom of heaven is like a king whose son was getting married. The king organized a great feast, a huge wedding banquet. 3 He invited everyone he knew. The day of the wedding arrived, and the king sent his servants into town to track down his guests—but when the servants approached them with the king’s message, they refused to come. 4 So the king sent out another batch of servants.
King: Tell those people I’ve invited to come to the wedding banquet! Tell them I have prepared a great feast! Everything is ready! The oxen and fattened cattle have all been butchered, the wine is decanted, and the table is laid out just so.
5 And off the servants went, and they carried the king’s message to the errant guests—who still paid not a whit of attention. One guest headed into his field to work; another sat at his desk to attend to his accounts.
6 The rest of the guests actually turned on the servants, brutalizing them and killing them. 7 When he learned of this, the king was furious. He sent his army to kill the murderers and burn their towns. 8 But there was, of course, still a wedding to celebrate.
King (to his remaining servants): The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited didn’t rise to the occasion.
“What separates privilege from entitlement is gratitude.”
— Brené Brown
How to know if you have a HARD HEART:
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See Problems and Ignore Blessings
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What You Say!
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Empathy is Rare
Pastor Sean leads us through the Exodus story and explains how God's power is not displayed by delivering us to comfort, but delivering us through challenge.
Live Teaching PodcastScriptures & ReferencesExodus: 5:1-3
Not long after, Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh.
Moses and Aaron: The Eternal, Israel’s God, has a message for you: “Release My people, so that they may go and celebrate a feast in My honor in the desert.”
Pharaoh: 2 And who is this god you call “the Eternal One” that I should heed His message and release His people Israel? I do not know any god by that name, and furthermore I do not intend to release Israel.
Moses and Aaron: 3 The God of the Hebrews has visited us. We ask that you allow us to travel three days’ distance into the desert to sacrifice to the Eternal our God. Otherwise, He may become angry and come after us with disease or sword.
Exodus 13:17-18
17 After Pharaoh sent the people out, God did not take them by the coastal road that runs through the land of the Philistines, even though that was the nearest and easiest route. Instead, God said, “For if they see battle with those contentious Philistines, they might regret their decision and then return to Egypt.”
18 So God chose a different, longer path that led the community of His people through the desert toward the Red Sea. The Israelites marched out of the land of Egypt like an army ready for battle.
Exodus 14:4
“Then I will harden Pharaoh’s stubborn heart even more, and he will pursue the Israelites. Honor will come to Me through the actions of Pharaoh and his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Eternal One.”
Exodus 14:11-12
Israelites (to Moses): Were there not enough graves in Egypt? Is that why you brought us out here to die in the desert? Why have you done this to us? Why have you made us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you in Egypt, “Stop pestering us so that we can get on with our lives and serve the Egyptians”? It would have been better for us to live as slaves to the Egyptians than to die out here in the desert.
Exodus 14:13-14
Moses (to the people): 13 Don’t be afraid! Stand your ground and witness how the Eternal will rescue you today. Take a good look at the Egyptians, for after today you will never see them again. 14 The Eternal will fight on your behalf while you watch in silence.
Exodus 15:1-5
Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the
Eternal One.
Moses and the Israelites: I will sing to the Eternal, for He has won a great victory;
He has thrown the chariot into the sea: horse and rider.
The Eternal is my strength and my song, and He has come to save me;
Exodus 15:1-5
He is my God, and I will praise Him.
He is the God of my father, and I will exalt Him.
The Eternal is a warrior; the Eternal is His name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has thrown into the sea.
And his high-ranking officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
The deep waters covered them; they sank to the muddy depths like a stone.
“The passage can be read two ways. The first is that what happened was a suspension of the laws of nature. It was a supernatural event. The waters stood, literally, like a wall.
The second is that what happened was miraculous not because the laws of nature were suspended. To the contrary, as the computer simulation shows, the exposure of dry land at a particular point in the Red Sea was a natural outcome of the strong east wind. What made it miraculous is that it happened just there, just then, when the Israelites seemed trapped, unable to go forward because of the sea, unable to turn back because of the Egyptian army pursuing them.
There is a significant difference between these two interpretations. The first appeals to our sense of wonder. How extraordinary that the laws of nature should be suspended to allow an escaping people to go free. It is a story to appeal to the imagination of a child. But the naturalistic explanation is wondrous at another level entirely. Here the Torah is using the device of irony. What made the Egyptians of the time of Ramses so formidable was the fact that they possessed the latest and most powerful form of military technology, the horse drawn chariot. It made them unbeatable in battle, and fearsome.
What happens at the sea is poetic justice of the most exquisite kind. There is only one circumstance in which a group of people traveling by foot can escape a highly trained army of charioteers, namely when the route passes through a muddy sea bed. The people can walk across, but the chariot wheels get stuck in the mud. The Egyptian army can neither advance nor retreat. The wind drops. The water returns. The powerful are now powerless, while the powerless have made their way to freedom.”
— Jonathan Sacks, Covenant and Conversation
Exodus 15:19-20
19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot-drivers drove into the sea, the Eternal caused the waters to collapse upon them. But the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
20 The prophetess, Miriam (Aaron’s sister), picked up a tambourine, and all the rest of the women followed her with tambourines and joyful dancing.
Join us for an special episode of The Ecclesia Podcast as we share stories and insights from our recent trip to Colombia where we met with our friends at Iglesia Cristiana Para la Frontera. Pastor Chris and Pastor Ramon sit down with HR Director Cassie O'Haver to discuss the transformative work that God is doing on the Colombia/Venezuela border through our partnership with this incredible ministry.
Over a decade ago, the people of Venezuela were thrown into chaos, and the mass migration of Venezuelans created a new set of challenges for the already struggling country. But in the midst of this chaos and devastation, God was at work, providing a glimmer of hope embodied by our friends at Iglesia Cristiana Para la Frontera. Our team shares their experiences of traveling to the border, meeting the pastors and team at Iglesia, and witnessing firsthand their tireless efforts to provide food, shelter, medical care, education, and most importantly, hope for those most vulnerable at the Colombia/Venezuela border.
Through this episode, you'll hear stories of resilience, faith, and community as we explore the transformative power of community and the ways this partnership makes an impact both internationally and at our home in Houston. Join us as we step boldly into God's purpose for our lives and learn how you can get involved in supporting this incredible ministry.
Don't miss this opportunity to be inspired and encouraged to make a difference in the world around you. If you haven't already, please watch our video from this past Sunday that highlights some of the stories we heard during our time with our friends at Iglesia para la Frontera. You can find that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOawmv6INuM
Pastor Chris guides us on a tour of Cucuta, Colombia and shares stories from our team's recent trip to visit our friends serving at Iglesia para la Frontera.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & References Galatians 6:7-9
Pastor Sean prepares us as we approach the season of Lent. Sean reminds us that this season is about more than just intentional fasting, but intentional feasting. As people of faith, we are challenged to hold both in balance and to not slide more fully into one or the other.
LIVE TEACHING PODCASTScriptures & ReferencesMatthew 9: 10-26
“I felt in my bones, first that this world does not explain itself.… Second, I came to feel as if magic must have a meaning, and meaning must have some one to mean it. There was something personal in the world, as in a work of art.… Third, I thought this purpose beautiful in its old design, in spite of its defects, such as dragons. Fourth, that the proper form of thanks to it is some form of humility and restraint: we should thank God for beer and Burgundy by not drinking too much of them.…
And last, and strangest, there had come into my mind a vague and vast impression that in some way all good was a remnant to be stored and held sacred out of some primordial ruin.”
— G.K. Chesterton
ReflectionIn light of Pastor Sean’s naming of Lent as a time of “Joyous Lament”, take some time to prayerfully pause and consider how God might be uniquely calling you to fast in this season, while also recognizing the blessedness of feast days along the journey.
If you haven’t already done so, consider how you might connect with one of our new Lenten Groups which are beginning.
Sean shared a few simple suggestions to get started. Perhaps they will prompt your own faithful observance of this transformative season:
- Keep a journal of celebration
- Pay attention to rhythms
- Walk and get the sun in your eyes
- Reject cynicism
Pastor Chris continues in our series called Sacred Frames by looking again at the show The Sopranos. Pastor Chris explores the themes of belonging and community as the show highlight's Tony Sopranos loneliness. Pastor Chris invites us to engage with each other and suggests that the Church continues to hold a place of belonging for each other.
Live Teaching PodcastScriptures & ReferencesEcclesiastes 1
1 These are the words of the teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Teacher: Life is fleeting, like a passing mist.
It is like trying to catch hold of a breath;
All vanishes like a vapor; everything is a great vanity.
3 What good does it do anyone to work so hard again and again, sun up to sundown? All his labor to gain but
a little?
Ecclesiastes 1
4 One generation comes, another goes;
but the earth continues to remain.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
laboring to come up quickly to its place again
and again.
6 The wind in its travels blows toward the south,
then swings back around to the north.
Back and forth,
returning in its circuit again and again.
Ecclesiastes 1
7 All rivers flow to the sea,
but the sea is never full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
there the water returns to flow once again.
8 Words, words, words! So many words! They are wearisome things; and yet people cannot refrain from speaking.
No eye has ever surveyed the world and said, “I have seen enough”; no ear has ever listened to creation and said, “I have heard enough.”
Ecclesiastes 1
9 What has been, that will be;
what has been done, that will be done.
Nothing is new under the sun;
the future only repeats the past.
10 One person may say of some idea,
“Pay attention to this; it’s original!”
But that same idea has already been expressed;
it’s been with us through the ages.
Ecclesiastes 1
11 We do not remember those people and events of long ago, as future generations will not remember what is yet to come.
12 I, the teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I decided to seek out and study the wisdom of the ages, of all that had been done under the heavens. I soon discovered the harsh realities of the work God has given us that keeps us so busy.
Ecclesiastes 1
14 I have witnessed all that is done under the sun, and indeed, all is fleeting, like trying to embrace the wind. 15 There is an old saying: Something crooked cannot be made straight, and something missing cannot be counted.
16 I mused over it all and thought to myself, “I have done great things, and I have gained more wisdom than anyone who reigned over Jerusalem before me. I have contemplated great wisdom and knowledge.”
Ecclesiastes 1
17 I decided to study wisdom and instead acquainted myself with madness and folly. It, too, seemed like trying to pursue the wind, 18 for as my wisdom increased, so did my vexation. As my knowledge grew, so did my pain.
Isaiah 43:1
Eternal One: Remember who created you, O Jacob? Who shaped you, O Israel? See, you have nothing to fear. I, who made you, will take you back. I have chosen you, named you as My own.
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
7 Again I observed another example of how fleeting life is under the sun: 8 a person who is all alone—with no child, no sibling—yet he works hard his entire life. Still he is never satisfied with the wealth he gains. Does he stop to ask, “Why am I working so hard?” or “Why am I depriving myself of life’s simple pleasures?” This, too, is fleeting, like trying to catch hold of a breath; it’s a miserable situation.
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12
9 Two are better than one because a good return comes when two work together. 10 If one of them falls, the other can help him up. But who will help the pitiful person who falls down alone? 11 In the same way, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm. But how will the one who sleeps alone stay warm against the night? 12 And if one person is vulnerable to attack, two can drive the attacker away. As the saying goes, “A rope made of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Deuteronomy 5:9-10
9 You are not to bow down in worship of any images of other gods, for I am the Eternal your God. I am jealous for worship, bringing punishment on you and your children to come, even down to your great-grandchildren, to whoever hates Me. 10 Instead, those who obey My commands and truly love Me will receive My loyal love endlessly, even for a thousand generations.
Psalm 110:3
Your people will come as volunteers that day; they will be a sight to see: on that day, you will lead your army, noble in their holiness.
As the new day dawns and dew settles on the grass,
your young volunteers will make their way to you.
This week Ericka Graham brings us a message about grace and showing up as our authentic selves through the lens of a couple of Disney short films.
LIVE TEACHING PODCASTScripture & ReferencesJohn 12:49-50
Jesus 49 because I am not speaking of My own volition and from My own authority. The Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and speak. 50 I know His command is eternal life, so every word I utter originates in Him.
"Truth was a mirror in the hands of god. It fell, and broke in to pieces. Everybody took a piece of it and they looked at it and thought they had the truth." - Rumi
1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
Matthew 18:1-5
1 Around that same time, the disciples came to Jesus and questioned Him about the kingdom of heaven.
A Disciple: In the kingdom of heaven, who is the greatest?
2 Jesus called over a little child. He put His hand on the top of the child’s head.
Jesus: 3 This is the truth: unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 In that kingdom, the most humble who are most like this child are the greatest. 5 And whoever welcomes a child, welcomes her in My name, welcomes Me.
You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don’t.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.
~Rumi
In this week's installment of Sacred Frames, our dear friend Greg Garrett, who is a gifted author, professor, and speaker, brings us a message about the forgiveness of God through the lens of the movie Magnolia.
Garrett describes Magnolia as a beautiful, hard, and true film that in its second act leaves you feeling like you are at the bottom of the ocean and will never know light or warmth again. But then God moves, and grace flows and we see as God sees, with a sympathy for the brokenness which enters into every human life. We see God makes the showers to fall upon the just and the unjust, and we discover how God is right there with us as we try to live into the toughest parts of being human.
Live Teaching PodcastScriptures & References “One way I think about forgiveness is that it’s the judgment love renders. I think we tend to think of forgiveness as undoing wrong, as erasing it somehow. But in fact to say ‘I forgive you’ is to imply that there is something that needs forgiving. To say, ‘I forgive you,’ is also to say, ‘you have wronged me.’ But in rendering that judgment, forgiveness tries to figure out what loving the wrongdoer would look like.”
— Matthew Ichihashi Potts, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account
Matthew 5: 43-48
43 You have been taught to love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you this: love your enemies. Pray for those who torment you and persecute you— 45 in so doing, you become children of your Father in heaven. He, after all, loves each of us—good and evil, kind and cruel. He causes the sun to rise and shine on evil and good alike. He causes the rain to water the fields of the righteous and the fields of the sinner. 46 It is easy to love those who love you—even a tax collector can love those who love him. 47 And it is easy to greet your friends—even outsiders do that! 48 But you are called to something higher: “Be perfect, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
Pastor Chris Seay shares about the life lessons from the TV show The Sopranos and what the themes of the show have to teach us about who we are and who God is.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & References“My thesis that the practice of nonviolence requires a belief in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many Christians, especially theologians in the West. To the person who is inclined to dismiss it, I suggest imagining that you are delivering a lecture in a war zone (which is where a paper that underlies this chapter was originally delivered). Among your listeners are people whose cities and villages have been first plundered, then burned and leveled to the ground, whose daughters and sisters have been raped, whose fathers and brothers have had their throats slit. The topic of the lecture: a Christian attitude toward violence. The thesis: we should not retaliate since God is perfect noncoercive love. Soon you would discover that it takes the quiet of a suburban home for the birth of the thesis that human nonviolence corresponds to God’s refusal to judge. In a scorched land, soaked in the blood of the innocent, it will invariably die. And as one watches it die, one will do well to reflect about many other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind.”
Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace, pgs. 303-304
Luke 16:19-31
19 There was this rich man who had everything—purple clothing of fine quality and high fashion, gourmet meals every day, and a large house. 20 Just outside his front gate lay this poor homeless fellow named Lazarus. Lazarus was covered in ugly skin lesions. 21 He was so hungry he wished he could scavenge scraps from the rich man’s trash. Dogs would come and lick the sores on his skin. 22 The poor fellow died and was carried on the arms of the heavenly messengers to the embrace of Abraham. Then the rich fellow died and was buried 23 and found himself in the place of the dead. In his torment, he looked up, and off in the distance he saw Abraham, with Lazarus in his embrace.
24 He shouted out, “Father Abraham! Please show me mercy! Would you send that beggar Lazarus to dip his fingertip in water and cool my tongue? These flames are hot, and I’m in agony!”
25 But Abraham said, “Son, you seem to be forgetting something: your life was full to overflowing with comforts and pleasures, and the life of Lazarus was just as full with suffering and pain. So now is his time of comfort, and now is your time of agony. 26 Besides, a great canyon separates you and us. Nobody can cross over from our side to yours, or from your side to ours.”
27 “Please, Father Abraham, I beg you,” the formerly rich man continued, “send Lazarus to my father’s house. 28 I have five brothers there, and they’re on the same path I was on. If Lazarus warns them, they’ll choose another path and won’t end up here in torment.”
29 But Abraham said, “Why send Lazarus? They already have the law of Moses and the writings of the prophets to instruct them. Let your brothers hear them.”
30 “No, Father Abraham,” he said, “they’re already ignoring the law and the prophets. But if someone came back from the dead, then they’d listen for sure; then they’d change their way of life.”
31 Abraham answered, “If they’re not listening to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be convinced even if someone comes back from the dead.”
Pastor Mike continues our series Sacred Frames exploring the intersection of faith and film; the redemptive themes coursing through a diversity of cinematic stories. Pastor Mike takes us through the story of the movie Arrival. The themes of relationships and pain throughout the film give us insight on how we relate to each other in relationships. How even in pain we trust that when we walk together, united even in all of our messy difference, the Holy Spirit will show us what we’re meant to see, what we’re meant to receive, what we’re meant to give.
LIVE TEACHING PODCASTSCRIPTURE & REFERENCES“We are all born with a certain package. We are who we are. Where we were born, who we were born as, how we were raised. We are kind of stuck inside that person, and the purpose of civilization and growth is to be able to reach out and empathize a little bit with other people, find out what makes them tick, what they care about. For me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. If it’s a great movie, it lets you understand a little bit more about what it’s like to be a different gender, a different race, a different age, a different economic class, a different nationality, a different profession, different hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us.”
-Roger Ebert
Genesis 11:1-9
1 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”
5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
John 16:13-14
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
“Despite knowing the journey, knowing where it leads. I embrace it and welcome every minute of it.”
What do we mean when we say "Love"? Pastor Sean Palmer begins a new series called "Sacred Frames". For the next few weeks, we will look at redemptive themes in cinema. This week Pastor Sean takes a look at the story of To Kill A Mockingbird to examine what it means to love your neighbor.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & References“There is the great lesson of 'Beauty and the Beast,' that a thing must be loved before it is lovable.” - G. K. Chesterton
“Your deepest desire, is the one manifested by your daily life and habits.” This is because our action—our doing—bubbles up from our loves, which…are habits we’ve acquired through the practices we’re immersed in. That means the formation of my loves and desires can be happening “under the hood” of consciousness. I might be learning to love a telos that I’m not even aware of and that nonetheless governs my life in unconscious ways.” - James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit
Mark 12:28b-30
Scribe: Tell me, Teacher. What is the most important thing that God commands in the law?
Jesus: 29 The most important commandment is this: “Hear, O Israel, the Eternal One is our God, and the Eternal One is the only God. 30 You should love the Eternal, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” 31 The second great commandment is this: “Love others in the same way you love yourself.” There are no commandments more important than these.
As we enter 2023, Pastor Mike invites us to reorder our lives in this new year. He encourages us to continue showing up; to the discomfort of a new habit, to the inconvenience of messy relationship, to the often frustrating silence of prayer, eventually we will encounter God, perhaps in ways we could never have anticipated.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & ReferencesLuke 2
25 While fulfilling these sacred obligations at the temple, they encountered a man
in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was a just and pious man, anticipating the
liberation of Israel from her troubles. He was a man in touch with the Holy
Spirit. 26 The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he
had seen the Lord’s Anointed One. 27 The Spirit had led him to the temple that
day, and there he saw the child Jesus in the arms of His parents, who were
fulfilling their sacred obligations. 28 Simeon took Jesus into his arms and blessed
God.
29
Simeon: Now, Lord and King, You can let me, Your humble servant, die in
peace.
30 You promised me that I would see with my own eyes what I’m seeing
now: Your freedom,
31 Raised up in the presence of all peoples.
32 He is the light who reveals Your message to the other nations, and He
is the shining glory of Your covenant people, Israel.
33 His father and mother were stunned to hear Simeon say these
things. 34 Simeon went on to bless them both, and to Mary in particular he gave
predictions.
Simeon: Listen, this child will make many in Israel rise and fall. He will be a
significant person whom many will oppose. 35 In the end, He will lay bare the
secret thoughts of many hearts. And a sword will pierce even your own soul,
Mary.
36 At that very moment, an elderly woman named Anna stepped forward. Anna
was a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She had been
married for seven years before her husband died 37 and a widow to her current
age of 84 years. She was deeply devoted to the Lord, constantly in the temple,
fasting and praying. 38 When she approached Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, she
began speaking out thanks to God, and she continued spreading the word about
Jesus to all those who shared her hope for the rescue of Jerusalem.
——
James 5
7 ...My brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the return of the Lord. Look!
The farmer knows how to wait patiently for the land to produce vegetables and
fruits. He cannot harvest a freshly planted seed. Instead, he waits for the early and
the late showers to nourish the soil. 8 You need this same kind of patience, so in
the meantime, strengthen your resolve because the Lord will be coming soon.
——
“Habits eat willpower for breakfast.”
― John Ortberg, Soul Keeping: Caring For the Most Important Part of You
Pastor Chris finishes the last Sunday of Advent by inviting us to examine what it means to love all people. Pastor Chris invites us to reconsider the way we view God’s love, and in turn how that affects the way we love others in our life.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & ReferencesLuke 6:32-36
32 Listen, what’s the big deal if you love people who already love you? Even scoundrels do that much! 33 So what if you do good to those who do good to you? Even scoundrels do that much! 34 So what if you lend to people who are likely to repay you? Even scoundrels lend to scoundrels if they think they’ll be fully repaid. 35 If you want to be extraordinary—love your enemies! Do good without restraint! Lend with abandon! Don’t expect anything in return!
Then you’ll receive the truly great reward—you will be children of the Most High—for God is kind to the ungrateful and those who are wicked. 36 So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is.
Levitecus 19:33-34
33 Don’t take advantage of any stranger who lives in your land. 34 You must treat the outsider as one of your native-born people—as a full citizen—and you are to love him in the same way you love yourself; for remember, you were once strangers living in Egypt. I am the Eternal One, your God.
Psalm 103:11-13
11 Measure how high heaven is above the earth;
God’s wide, loving, kind heart is greater for those who revere Him.
12 You see, God takes all our crimes—our seemingly inexhaustible sins—and removes them.
As far as east is from the west, He removes them from us.
13 An earthly father expresses love for his children;
it is no different with our heavenly Father;
The Eternal shows His love for those who revere Him.
This week, Pastor Chris invites us to give more in this season of Advent, giving meaningful gifts to others and to being generous with our finances as we raise money for clean water. He suggests that we offer the gift of ourselves to others as a way of inviting deeper relationships.
Live Teaching PodcastScripture & References
John 3:16For God expressed His love for the world in this way: He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not face everlasting destruction, but will have everlasting life.“It's not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”“Remember: it's not the thought that counts, but it's the thoughtful thought that counts.”“Personalization is what turns an ordinary gift into an extraordinary one.”— John Ruhlin, GiftologyLuke 3:11John the Baptist: 11 The person who has two shirts must share with the person who has none. And the person with food must share with the one in need.“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” — Joseph Campbell“Confronting our feelings and giving them appropriate expression always takes strength, not weakness. It takes strength to acknowledge our anger, and sometimes more strength yet to curb the aggressive urges anger may bring and to channel them into nonviolent outlets. It takes strength to face our sadness and to grieve and to let our grief and our anger flow in tears when they need to. It takes strength to talk about our feelings and to reach out for help and comfort when we need it."— Fred Rogers2 Corinthians 9:12-1512 For this mission will do more than bring food and water to fellow believers in need—it will overflow in a cascade of praises and thanksgivings for our God. 13 When this mission reaches Jerusalem and meets with the approval of God’s people there, they will give glory to God because your confession of the gospel of the Anointed One led to obedient action and your generous sharing with them and with all exhibited your sincere concern. 2 Corinthians 9:12-1514 Because of the extraordinary grace of God at work in you, they will pray for you and long for you. 15 Praise God for this incredible, unbelievable, indescribable gift!1 Corinthians 13:3I could give all that I have to feed the poor, I could surrender my body to be burned as a martyr, but if I do not live in love, I gain nothing by my selfless acts.Proverbs 3:27Do not withhold what is good from those who deserve it;
if it is within your power to give it, do it.Matthew 2:9-119-10 The wise men left Herod’s chambers and went on their way. The star they had first seen in the East reappeared—a miracle that, of course, overjoyed and enraptured the wise men. The star led them to the house where Jesus lay; 11 and as soon as the wise men arrived, they saw Him with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. They unpacked their satchels and gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.Colossians 3:12-1512 Since you are all set apart by God, made holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a holy way of life: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Put up with one another. Forgive. Pardon any offenses against one another, as the Lord has pardoned you, because you should act in kind. 14 But above all these, put on love! Love is the perfect tie to bind these together. 15 Let your hearts fall under the rule of the Anointed’s peace (the peace you were called to as one body), and be thankful.
Pastor Sean continues into the second week of advent and invites us to spend less on things this season and instead spend more of ourselves for the people in our lives.
Live Teaching PodcastScriptures & ReferencesLuke 12:13-15 NRSVUE
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
Luke 12:16-21 NRSVUE
Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
Acts 9:36-43 NRSVUE
36 Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.[h] She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39 So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42 This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Meanwhile, he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.
In a world that primarily values commerce, the invitation to worship fully this advent season is an invitation to embrace a set of values that honor God above the market. Pastor Sean, through the book of Exodus and the story of Moses, invites us to embrace a season and life that worships God more fully.
Ericka Graham closes out our series on the Theology of the Body by discussing what it means to be the Body of Christ. Ericka explains that we all have a connective call to the body of Christ that invites us to participate as our authentic selves.
There is nothing more human than the experience of living in a body. That comes with joy, pain, trauma, and everything in between, but those experiences are what tie us together as humanity. This week we are joined by Pastor Chris and Ericka to discuss and wrap up the current sermon series about the body and take a deeper look at what it means to be human.
Our minds shape the reality we live in. How we view, care for, and develop our mind is essential to how we view ourselves, God, and our community around us. Pastor Sean Palmer continues in our series on the Theology of the Body talking about our mind and is importance to our faith.
This week on the podcast Mitzi Mak & Manuel Sanchez discuss our beloved Nostoi Community. Our mission with the Nostoi Community is to empower our friends who are unhoused and in housing transition through loving relationships that support transformation, provide resources, restore dignity and bring hope to their lives.
Pastor Chris Seay continues our series around the Theology of the Body and explores the topic of sexuality. For many of us, our experience with this topic is connected to shame. Pastor Chris aims to offer new insight and perspective for how we view our own sexuality and how we view other people.
This week on the podcast Josue Trevino, Wayne Brown, & Alexandra Rieke discuss Ecclesia's multi-campus approach to ministry across Houston. Much like the chairs in our downtown venue, each of our campuses downtown, at Westside in Piney Point, and near Northside in Lindale are incredibly unique and diverse. This diversity is necessary to accommodate the different cultures and demographics of each of these areas, but more importantly is a beautiful celebration of the diversity found in the Kingdom of God. We hope to come alongside the work God is already doing in these communities and across Houston as we pursue Jesus in holistic missional community.
Over the past several years, many of us have endured the trauma of the pandemic and are beginning to experience those affects in our body. Pastor Chris continues our series on the Theology of the Body by examining the ways that trauma affects our bodies and looks at how the Scriptures point us to healing.
This week on the podcast Alexandra Rieke & Mike Yager discuss and breakdown the Rhythms of Ecclesia. We believe God is present in ordinary days and invites us into rhythms which bring about joy and peace. Together, as we live in pursuit of Jesus, we have found these rhythms guide us on a path to experience the divine in the midst of the ordinary and live in awe and wonder.
Pastor Sean Palmer begins our new series around "The Body" by asking the question "What is a Body for?" Pastor Sean explains that the body is the mechanism to express our soul and that we would enact in our bodies what God is doing in our souls.
This week on the podcast Pastor Chris & Pastor Sean sit down to talk about the early days of Ecclesia.
Pastor Chris concludes our sermon series around "Who is Ecclesia" by inviting us into how our community approaches the Bible. He urges us to consider how we play a part in engaging with the story God has been telling since the beginning, and how living out that story may change our lives.
Live Teaching Podcast
Scripture & Reference
2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All of Scripture is God-breathed; in its inspired voice, we hear useful teaching, rebuke, correction, instruction, and training for a life that is right 17 so that God’s people may be up to the task ahead and have all they need to accomplish every good work.
Galatians 5:22-26
22 The Holy Spirit produces a different kind of fruit: unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. You won’t find any law opposed to fruit like this. 24 Those of us who belong to the Anointed One have crucified our old lives and put to death the flesh and all the lusts and desires that plague us. 25 Now since we have chosen to walk with the Spirit, let’s keep each step in perfect sync with God’s Spirit. 26 This will happen when we set aside our self-interests and work together to create true community instead of a culture consumed by provocation, pride, and envy.
Pastor Chris Seay continues our conversation on the distinct nature of Ecclesia as a church community. Through the prayers of Jesus and the unique teachings of Jeremiah Burroughs, Chris suggests some of the ways we find unity and cooperation within our great diversity, that certain doctrinal differences need not divide us, and that our differences in fact enrich our family.
What does it mean to be a local church in Houston, TX? Pastor Mike Yager poses this question to us as we can become quickly default to the comforts of homogeneity over the messiness of inhabiting and navigating that diversity, clinging instead to those that look like us, live like us, worship like us, vote like us. Pastor Mike invites us to consider how we are seeking the welfare of our neighborhood, community & city.
Pastor Chris Seay continues our series "Who is Ecclesia?" by inviting us to have a posture towards life that allows us to be missional. Pastor Chris suggests that a life lived missionally would radically alter the way we view and interact with the world around us.
Pastor Sean Palmer introduces us to a new series we are calling "Who is Ecclesia?" Sean invites us to consider that our church has historical roots in a larger story beyond ourselves and our local community.
Pastor Chris preaches from Argentina and shares about Ruth & Rene Padilla. Rene’s work and concepts of “misión integral” are formative to the formation of Ecclesia.
Pastor Mitzi Mak explores the life and ministry of Mother Teresa. She reminds us that if we desire to love and serve Jesus, that he can be found in the overlooked and lonely, for they are image-bearers of God.
Pastor Chris introduces us to Houstonian Brene Brown as we continue our series focusing on the voices of women. Through her teaching of vulnerability, we gain insight into the life of Jesus and the action He calls us to take. Pastor Chris encourages us to not give up when faced with pain, but to continue serving and loving others with courage.
How do we pray with hope and honesty? Pastor Sean Palmer introduces us to beloved author Anne Lamott and her book Help, Thanks, Wow. Anne’s words on three simple prayers guide us into simple and universal types of prayers.
Pastor Chris shares the story of Rena Quint, a holocaust survivor. Her story of survival and suffering led her to a dedication to living a life of joy. Rena’s story is inspiring and challenges us to examine the ways we view our own lives.
Guest Teacher Rochelle Palmer introduces us to poet & lyricist Fanny Crosby. Her prolific and influential songs and lyrics continue to impact generations of Christians and remind us that God’s response to sin is not punishment – God’s response to sin is Jesus.
Pastor Sean Palmer takes a look at Communion. What does this tradition mean in our lives and the life of our community? Pastor Sean introduces us to a journalist named Sarah Miles, the founder and director of The Food Pantry. Her story leads us into a deeper understanding of Communion.
This week, Ericka Graham points us to the wisdom and teachings of an ancient mystic, Hildegard of Bingen (also known as Saint Hildegard). Through Hildegard’s “visions” that require an “embodied posture” towards spirituality, Ericka uses the story of “The Good Samaritan” to remind us that we too, are called to worship our God with our entire body, and care for the entire bodies of others too—even if it means finding good in our “enemies.”
Pastor Sean Palmer shares the story of Fannie Lou Hamer and how her faith led her to fight for justice. Her story, and the words of the scripture that she held dear, remind us that we too are a people of justice, and seeking justice does have a personal cost.
As we continue in our series focusing on women of faith, Pastor Chris features our friend Shauna Niequist and her book “i guess I haven’t learned that yet”. Through her book, Shauna introduces us to a faith that is humble, quick to listen and invites us into hospitality.
Author Annie Dillard asks this question in her book “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek”: Why is there beauty? Pastor Sean Palmer invites us into the writings and faith of Annie Dillard to urge us to go outside and become aware of the beauty around us. The pace of our lives often leaves us with little time to intentionally slow down and seek beauty.
Guest Speaker, Ruth Turley, powerfully urges us to view the Gospel as a message not about life after death, but about both, life now and life after. Through both the lens of the Latin American theological concept of Misión Integral, and the prayers of Mary, Ruth reminds us that the good news, the work of justice, and God’s liberation apply right now.
Live Teaching Podcast Scripture & Quotations Luke 1:46-55
“My soul lifts up the Lord! My spirit celebrates God, my Liberator! For though I’m God’s humble servant, God has noticed me. Now and forever, I will be considered blessed by all generations. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; holy is God’s name! From generation to generation, God’s lovingkindness endures for those who revere Him. God’s arm has accomplished mighty deeds. The proud in mind and heart, God has sent away in disarray. The rulers from their high positions of power, God has brought down low. And those who were humble and lowly, God has elevated with dignity. The hungry – God has filled with fine food. The rich – God has dismissed with nothing in their hands. To Israel, God’s servant, God has given help, as promised to our ancestors, remembering Abraham and his descendants in mercy forever.”
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our series looking at the voices of women of faith by looking to the words of Barbara Taylor Brown. Barbara’s words invite to engage with the Bible by seeing ourselves in the stories of Scripture.
This week Pastor Chris shares a message about the playful, joyful, and beautiful nature of God, inspired by the book Divine Enjoyment by Elaine Padilla.
In a return to our new summer series, seeking wisdom from the stories and voices of women throughout the Christian tradition, Pastor Mike Yager shares insights from the life and unique calling of Joni Eareckson Tada and the story of Jacob in Genesis; in both cases, journeys transformed by the reality of disability. A perspective often neglected, stories like that of Joni and so many others challenge the ableist assumptions within our culture (the church included), and are a resounding call to the vitality of vulnerability.
Pastor Chris Seay preaches from Uvalde in the wake of the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. As we process this horrific tragedy, and other recent events that have left us similarly shaken, Pastor Chris seeks guidance from the words of Jesus to prompt us into healthy and meaningful ways to respond as people of hope in the midst of such grief.
Following the horrific tragedy at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, our team gathered to shape and share this time of prayer and lament. We continue to pray for the families of the victims, and a community in the midst of deep trauma and mourning, but our response as a church will not end with prayer. Join us this weekend as Pastor Chris will invite us into specific ways that we will engage as a family in the days ahead. Lord, have mercy.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our new series exploring the vital stories and voices of women throughout the Christian tradition, inviting us to consider the tragic circumstances faced by Agnes of Rome. Through her story, and the teachings of Jesus, we are reminded that earthly pursuits do not sustain us, that conviction is costly, and that we worship a God who sees and joins us in places of pain.
Pastor Chris Seay invites us into the beginning of a new series which will unfold over the course of the summer, exploring the stories and voices of women in Scripture and throughout Christian history. This week, we consider the story of Anna Spafford and how her response might help us reflect upon our own in facing the inescapability of grief. We hope you’ll continue joining us for more of these powerful, beautiful, and crucial stories of faith.
On Mother’s Day, Pastor Mitzi Mak shared vulnerable perspective from her own story, and invited us to explore the many instances in which the Scriptures speak to the feminine character of God. Today we pause to celebrate the many diverse forms of motherhood, wonder at the unique and miraculous experience of childbirth, and worship together our God who is nurturer, comforter, and protector.
Pastor Mike Yager leads us to consider Jesus’ “Great Commission” and subsequent ascension as a call into shared purpose and connection as a new kind of community. In light of the invitations shared, how might you be called to more fully participate in the life of the church in this season?
Pastor Sean Palmer closes the series which has guided us through the Lenten season; utilizing Mike Mantel’s Thirsting for Living Water as a resource to help us consider our stories in light of God’s greater movement of redemption for all people, places, and things. Sean enters the story of the early church in Acts to examine our call to become the kind of genuine community through which the Holy Spirit would turn the world upside down.
It was a deep joy to gather and celebrate together at White Oak Music Hall. We extend our gratitude to all who took part, especially those who joined us so generously in serving the community, and our love to the entire Ecclesia family, wherever your Resurrection celebrations may have found you. Here, you can revisit our online service, including an encouraging message from Pastor Chris Seay. Our audio podcast feed will resume on its regular schedule next Sunday. He is risen!
On this Palm Sunday, as we enter into Holy Week, Pastor Chris Seay teaches from Lviv, Ukraine. We have connected with local pastors, and are identifying ways we can partner with efforts to care for those fleeing violence, and those continuing to defend their homeland. As we engage with Jesus’ story, today and throughout the week, we are reminded that the Body of Christ is always called to move towards in these times of extreme trial.
Ericka Graham continues our Lenten series utilizing Mike Mantel’s Thirsting for Living Water as a resource to help us consider our stories in light of God’s greater movement of redemption for all people, places, and things. Ericka invites us to look at the story of Noah’s Ark with fresh eyes; as an invitation into a hope grounded in the reality of covenant.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our Lenten series utilizing Mike Mantel’s Thirsting for Living Water as a resource to help us consider our stories in light of God’s greater movement of redemption for all people, places, and things. Sharing insights from his journey, and the wisdom of the Apostle Paul, Sean invites us to consider that even while doubt and despair may be agonizing to experience, God is always shining through in the midst of it.
Pastor Chris Seay continues our Lenten series utilizing Mike Mantel’s Thirsting for Living Water as a resource to help us consider our stories in light of God’s greater movement of redemption for all people, places, and things. Chris invites us to make an honest assessment, and ask if we are fully living into the gifts that God has given us to use and share in the world for his glory.
Throughout the six weeks of Lent, we are looking to Mike Mantel’s new book Thirsting For Living Water as a companion to guide our reflection. Mike serves as the CEO of Living Water International, and invites us to consider our stories in light of God’s BIG story of redemption and renewal. Continue to join us throughout this series of teaching as we seek God’s direction and the ways we are being urged into transformation during and beyond this sacred season.
Pastor Chris Seay invites us into the observance of a sacred and transformative season of Lent, and introduces the new series which will guide us through this season. Join us in the coming weeks as we seek to grow in awareness for the ways that God has been orchestrating in the midst of our stories; helping us to gain perspective for the ways we are uniquely called to participate in the larger narrative of God’s redemptive work.
Pastor Chris Seay concludes our series in the story of Joseph, speaking from Cúcuta, Colombia. For the first time in over two years, we have had the opportunity to connect directly with missional partners abroad, and are excited to share updates about the work God has been doing in a region beset by significant economic devastation in addition to the pandemic. Chris encourages us toward renewed intentionality in generosity and community connection as we continue to live out this important dimension of our calling as a church; serving the needs of our global family.
Pastor Mike Yager brings us to the closing episode of Joseph’s story, which has guided us over the past several weeks. As we witness an encounter of repentance and forgiveness between brothers, God is calling us to examine the places in our own past that reveal how God has been working throughout our stories to heal, shape, and urge us forward in faithfulness.
Pastor Sean Palmer leads us in our continued journey through the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis. Through several encounters of veiled identity, we are reminded that while masks may help us get what we think we want, healing can only begin once they are removed.
Pastor Chris Seay continues our journey through Joseph’s story in the Book of Genesis. Though we will all face disappointment, or be forced to navigate frustrating and long seasons of waiting, there are critical rhythms that help us to remain attentive and ready to respond when God’s appointed time arrives.
Continuing our mini-series on navigating disappointments and setbacks, Pastor Sean Palmer guides us to seek insight in the unfolding story of Joseph. Wrongly imprisoned, Joseph perseveres in faith; trusting in the presence of God which sustains us in hope during endless seasons of waiting and circumstances beyond our control.
Pastor Chris Seay continues our mini-series centered around navigating setbacks and disappointment; seeking guidance from the story of Joseph. On multiple occasions, Joseph’s circumstances changed dramatically and suddenly, but he nevertheless continued to walk and trust in a path of faithfulness.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our series on navigating setbacks and disappointments, as we seek guidance from the life and winding tale of Joseph. The obstacles and circumstances we face are so often beyond our control, and we are not immune to the effects brought on by the destructive choices of others, but we always have our own choices to make in response. May God bless and direct you in the choices in front of you today.
As we begin this new year of possibility, we find ourselves navigating yet another Covid surge; which continues to disrupt our present realities and our dreams for the season ahead. Pastor Chris enters the stories of Nicodemus and Joseph to ask us to consider how the setbacks we experience may be God urging us into a time of soul rebirth.
Ericka Graham teaches from the Epiphany story of the Magi; led in faithfulness to follow a mysterious course toward the infant Christ. So much of our story in recent seasons has been unlike anything we could have anticipated. We pray that Ericka’s message will be of deep encouragement as you seek to see and follow the star guiding you along unexpected paths into and throughout this new year of hope, liberation, and renewal.
Pastor Mike Yager leads in our continued celebration of the season of Christmastide; asking us to consider what happens after the decorations are put away, and after those gathered at the manger have departed. What happens after Christmas when we feel as though little in us has changed? Mike invites us to be attentive to the new life God is growing within us as we look ahead in hope.
Throughout Advent and in celebrating the Christmas season, we have sought to be a community who Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All. Teaching Pastor Sean Palmer leads the final week; urging us to embrace and embody Jesus’ directive regarding the demands of love. Then, Community Pastor Mike Yager offers a final invitation to participate as we look to gather our best gifts for Jesus as a family, joining in the work of bringing clean water to communities desperately in need around the world. You can make your Advent offering HERE.
As we continue observing this sacred season of anticipation, our hope is to be a people who Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All. Pastor Chris leads us in helping to dispel the myth of a Christmas best celebrated by extravagant consumption and debt, and invites us instead to consider thoughtful, prayerful gifts of our time and loving presence as a more meaningful reflection of God’s gift to us in Christ Jesus.
The Worship Table: Online Liturgy
Live Teaching Podcast
Scripture & ReflectionProverbs 22:7
Proverbs 25:28
Exodus 20:17
1 Timothy 6:7-10
Psalm 51:11
1. Be Thoughtful, Not Impulsive
2. Abandon Signs of Status
3. Embrace Your Place in Life
4. Give People What They Really Crave
In this second week of the Advent season, Pastor Chris Seay invites us to consider the story of a particularly extravagant gift extended to Jesus, and our call to generosity as springs from hearts of genuine worship. Our hope is that the whole Ecclesia family would join together in offering our very best gifts to Jesus in these weeks; partnering with efforts to bring clean water to vulnerable communities around the world. Continue to take part as we seek to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, and Love All. Visit ecclesiahouston.org/advent to learn more, and to give toward that community offering.
Pastor Sean Palmer ushers us into the Advent season with a rich call to generosity and justice. Join us throughout these sacred weeks; as we look to Christmas as a time that we as a family would worship fully, spend less , give more, and love all. Visit ecclesiahouston.org/advent for ways that you can take part as we await and celebrate Jesus’ coming.
Episode 5: Grateful
The final episode in this contemplative series; Wander is an invitation to take a walk, whether in your neighborhood or in nature, and cultivate attentiveness to God’s presence. All you need is a pair of headphones and comfortable footwear. Voices will guide you through scripture, music, and reflection as you take part in this spiritual practice. We thank you for taking part, and hope you will continue using this resource (and sharing it with others!) in future seasons.
Pastor Sean Palmer offers an important word as our fall Enchantment series draws to a close. Engaging once again with the story of Moses, we are reminded that enchanted encounters with God, at their essence, are invitations which point us toward sacrificial love. Our sincere hope is that this series has been impactful, challenging, and has led you into a deeper attentiveness to the presence of God all around you.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our Fall series on rediscovering an enchanted faith; offering a vital reminder from the life and ministry of Jesus on living in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit. May the truth reverberate as you receive this message, that the Spirit continues to move in the world, and in you.
Episode 4: Letting Go
As the fall weather comes (at last!) to greet us, we invite you to take a walk, whether in your neighborhood or in nature, and cultivate attentiveness to God’s presence. All you need is a pair of headphones and comfortable footwear. Voices will guide you through scripture, music, and reflection as you take part in this spiritual practice. New episodes will be released every other week throughout our Lost Enchantment teaching series.
Written and Produced by:
Mike Yager
Narration by:
Mitzi Mak
Mike Yager
Editing and Sound Mixing by:
Wes Cortiaus
“Can’t Help Myself (Empty Hands)”
Music and lyrics: Sandra McCracken
Performed by: Matt Broaddus
“Let Go”
Music and lyrics: Frou Frou
Performed by: Paul Pelc
Additional Music:
“From Here We Move Forward” by Carolino
“Endings” by Wil Pearce
“The Context Fades” by Async Ross
Graphic Design:
Dani Hooper
Pastor Chris Seay continues our Fall series on rediscovering an enchanted faith, considering the ways that the Book of James, the life of St. Patrick, and Celtic spirituality guide us into lives of service. Chris also offers an important update on our newly opened campus in Lindale Park; operating as a community center that will meet significant needs for our neighbors and leading us into beautiful new relationships as we follow Jesus together.
Continuing our fall series on rediscovering an enchanted faith, Ericka Graham taught during our online liturgy at The Worship Table, while Pastor Chris Seay led at the downtown campus. We consider the rhythms of contemplation, curiosity, and attentiveness which help us to not miss the burning bushes all around us.
Produced by:
Mike Yager
Written and Narrated by:
Alexandra Rieke
Mike Yager
Editing and Sound Mixing by:
Wes Cortiaus
“Gravity of Love”
Music and lyrics: The Brilliance
Performed by: Paul Pelc
“Heaven Is Here”
Written and Performed by: Dani Hooper
Additional Music: “Tranquility” by Lincoln Davis
“Under The Stars” by Analog Heart
“In Time” by Steven Gutheinz
Graphic Design:
Dani Hooper
Community Pastor Mike Yager contributes to our fall series on rediscovering an enchanted faith. Mike invites us to consider the liturgical rhythms which have guided Christ followers for centuries, and how ritual and sacrament might help us to develop an embodied faith.
Our dear friend Gideon Tsang returns to contribute to our fall series on rediscovering an enchanted faith. Gideon invites us to contemplate our spiritual practices, and how they can help to guide us from anxiety and the internal voice of critique toward gentleness and peace.
Written and produced by: Mike Yager
Readings by: Mike YagerHannah Rodriguez
Editing and Sound Mixing by:Wes Cortiaus
“From The Rising Of The Sun (Psalm 113)”Music and lyrics: Sandra McCrackenPerformed by: Matt Broaddus
“I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”Music and lyrics: U2Performed by: Paul Pelc
Additional Music: “The Myth of Balance” by Kurtis Parks“Waiting” by Acreage“The Part Where Things Start To Change” by Stephen Keech
Graphic Design: Dani Hooper
Pastor Sean Palmer continues the series that is guiding us through the Fall season, as we consider what it means to recover an enchanted faith in an age of skepticism. Sean shares from the early days of Jesus’ ministry, and the little moments in our Savior is simply among the crowd. How might we be missing similar moments of that presence in our own midst?
Pastor Chris Seay follows up on the beginning of the sermon series which will guide us through the fall; helping us to rediscover an enchanted faith within an increasingly disenchanted age. Chris suggests a few possible remedies to the lies that attempt to put boundaries around God’s presence — practices of imagination and meaning-making that could profoundly change the way we see the world and our place in it as followers of Jesus.
Written and produced by:
Mike Yager
Readings by:
Mike Yager
Alexandra Rieke
Edited by:
Wes Cortiaus
“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”
Music and lyrics: Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha Hoffman
Arrangement, guitar, and vocals: Paul Pelc
Piano and vocals: Matt Broaddus
“Near”
Music and lyrics: Paul Pelc
Additional Music: “Aura” by Kollen
“Before Dawn” by On Earth
“Motionless” by Steven Gutheinz
Graphic Design:
Dani Hooper
It was a joy to welcome back Dr. Richard Beck as we begin a new series which will unfold over the coming weeks through the fall. In an age of dis-enchantment and skepticism, we invite you to join us on this journey to reawaken a sense of wonder and grow in attentiveness to the presence of God that we may often miss, even when it’s right in front of us.
Pastor Sean Palmer looks to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount; calling us to reorient our vision for “the good life” and grow in awareness of the good life that already is because of God’s presence with us in every moment.
During these times of such distress, Pastor Chris Seay urges us to hear anew, and truly heed Jesus’ words that we come to him with the faith of children. Rather than dogma, curiosity. Rather than skepticism, trust. Rather than despair, hope. What invitation will you take with you today?
Pastor Mike Yager invites us into the curious story of Moses, Eldad, and Medad in Numbers 11. The flourishing of a community means that everyone is taking part. Today, we ask if we are engaged in the kind of spiritual disciplines that help us to go deeper in our own relationship with God so that we would grow in our capacity to contribute toward the flourishing of others.
Pastor Chris Seay guides us in revisiting the formation of the church in Acts 2. In a time of continued challenge and disruption, often gathering in new ways, it is all the more important that we are faithful in listening for ways to care for one another and to root ourselves in a environment where we can flourish. Church is not a place we go, but a people we are.
Concluding our summer sermon series in collaboration with our friends at Good Shepherd NYC, Pastor Drew Jackson offers a powerful word from the Prophet Joel on the vitality of repentance — a changing of our minds — to imagine a world beyond injustice, and how we might “wake up” to our part in God’s movement of restoration for all people. Drew serves as Lead Pastor of Hope East Village in New York City.
Ericka Graham continues our summer sermon series with friends at Good Shepherd New York, in which we have been reimagining various dimensions of faith and community in light of the lessons learned from Covid and the opportunities and challenges of returning back to rhythms of physical gathering. We pray that these weeks have been a formative blessing. Ericka invites us to shift our assumptions of power over the other to the kind of power modeled by Jesus: a power that is with and for others, lain down in humble love, that others may be lifted up.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our summer teaching series in collaboration with friends at Good Shepherd New York. Sean teaches from the “Christ Hymn” in Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi; inviting us to consider sung worship as just one example of the spiritual practices which are amplified as we participate in them communally. Following a year of such isolation, how will we recommit to the richness of the kinds of practices that are best engaged together?
Continuing a summer series in collaboration with our friends at Good Shepherd New York, dear brother and guest preacher Pastor Michael Rudzena invites us to consider how the challenges of the past year have altered our relationship to togetherness and isolation. Jesus is forever our model for a rhythm of life shaped by solitude and prayer, genuine community, and love taking action. Join us as the series concludes over the next few weeks.
Our series in collaboration with Good Shepherd New York continues to explore important dimensions of our lives and communities as followers of Jesus in this season of re-establishing rhythms. Our dear brother Gideon Tsang invites us to consider how our experience of time has been changed by the pandemic, and how Jesus calls us to the kind of mindfulness which will help us be more fully alive in the passing moments.
Pastor Chris continues the sermon series that began last week with our friends at Good Shepherd NY. We are joining together to reimagine critical elements of the Christian life as we navigate the losses and the possibilities brought on by the disruption of the pandemic. Chris guides us to consider the places we need reconciliation; within our own hearts, with God, and with the world.
Beginning a summer teaching series in collaboration with our friends at Good Shepherd in New York, our dear sister Shauna Niequist offers a beautiful vision of hospitality as soul nourishing; drawing from scripture and the important lessons we have learned over the trials of the past year. Continue to join us as the Reimagining series continues over the coming weeks.
Pastor Sean Palmer examines the faith of Abraham as a model for our lives of faith. Different than belief or knowledge, faith is the kind of trust that helps us focus on God through all circumstance, trial, and suffering.
Drawing from the Book of Hebrews, Pastor Chris asks us each to seriously and faithfully consider how God is calling us to live into the fullness of who God has made us to be. No one has your unique combination of story and circumstance, talents, passions, and resources. How is God urging you to trust him in the next step; inviting you to move from belief to action?
Pastor Sean Palmer offers an important reminder as we enter into this Summer season; that rest is not a luxury, but a vital rhythm that grows our awareness for how much God cares for us. Whatever the coming weeks may hold for you, how will you commit to receiving this gift which is woven into the very fabric of creation?
Pastor Chris reflects on the challenging practice of patience and invites us into practical steps of practicing patience in our relationship with God and others.
Pastor Sean Palmer offered an important word on the key difference between greater and lesser goods. The “lesser” good of material blessings is fleeting; but the “greater” goods of virtue and selflessness actually increase as they are given away. May Sean’s teaching lead you into meaningful contemplation in the days ahead.
Pastor Chris Seay continues a series of teachings around crucial dimensions of faith and our call as followers of Jesus as we have returned to regular rhythms of gathering in person. Today, we look to the teaching of the Prophet Micah to help us reconnect with God’s call that we a people with hearts inclined toward justice; which begins with humbly opening our ears to hear the cries of the oppressed.
On this Pentecost Sunday, Pastor Sean continued our conversation about the dynamics of re-connection during a season in which we have returned to regularly gathering in-person. The gift of the Holy Spirit confirms our adoption into the embrace of one covenant family; an echo of God’s declaration in Genesis that we are not made to be alone.
It was a great joy to officially gather back indoors for worship at both campuses this weekend, and we continue to be thankful for each small milestone on the path of renewal. Pastor Chris urges us to consider how the lessons of these difficult many months might lead us into deeper connection with God, and perhaps reestablishing connection with the kind of community in which we are seen, known, and valued.
Pastor Sean Palmer extends loving rebuke toward our culture of such anger and obsession with power. Unraveling gentleness from assumptions of weakness, he calls upon the church to reclaim and choose gentleness in order to truly live into our witness of the good news.
As the Easter season unfolds, Pastor Chris continues an ongoing conversation about the things in our lives which we long to see transformed in the Resurrection life. He urges us to confront and examine the cancer of comparison as it manifests within us, and how Jesus guides our hearts from envy into contentment.
Pastor Chris Seay guides us in hope as we continue observing the season of Eastertide; inviting us to reflect upon the practical ways that repentance and confession lead us toward a new way of thinking and being in the light of the Resurrection. Drawing from God’s revelations to the Prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Chris asks us to look to our own valleys, where “dry bones” await the breath of new life.
Pastor Sean Palmer teaches as we continue in this season of Eastertide. Astonished as Jesus calms a stormy sea, the disciples ask the vital question which continues to mystify us: “who is this?” If we profess that the risen Christ is the true and living God, how will that meaningfully change our minds and our lives, that this would indeed be a season of resurrection?
Ericka Graham preaches on this Second Sunday of Easter, inviting us into the familiar story of “doubting” Thomas. She calls us to imagine how the hope of resurrection might continue to reshape the heartache and grief we have experienced over the past year, and how we can trust God with the sifting of our lives, that the risen Christ would lead us into renewed purpose and passion.
Ecclesia, he is risen! As we we celebrate the Resurrection, Pastor Chris Seay invites us into the Easter story once again. We reflect upon the immense grief our world has experienced over the past year; looking forward as hope seems to be breaking over the horizon. How will the risen Christ guide us as faithful servants toward cultivating meaningful connection and community in this new world?
On Palm Sunday, Pastor Chris Seay concluded the brief series which has led us toward Easter; considering the practices observed by Jesus on the night he was betrayed. We are reminded once again, through the inauguration of a new kind of Passover feast, the importance of table fellowship as we live out faithfulness in community.
Join us for week three of “Hold Fast,” our Lenten podcast. In this episode, we revisit a story of peril faced by the Apostle Paul, and the trust in God’s promise which allowed him to persevere through great trial.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our brief series directing us into the practices engaged by Jesus on the evening he was betrayed. Knowing that he was about to depart, Jesus prays a prayer calling those remaining in world to be formed into a people of presence, unity, and sacrificial love; the people the church is meant to be.
Join us for week two of “Hold Fast,” our Lenten podcast. In this episode, Julie Ramos reminds us to keep our eyes on God at all times, especially through hardship, as He prunes our faith and gives us hope. He is always with us.
Pastor Chris Seay continues a brief series guiding us toward Resurrection Sunday; exploring the things that Jesus did during the night he was betrayed. A curious detail tells us that Jesus sang a hymn with the disciples before departing to the Garden. Chris invites us to consider the ways that music connects us with God, with memory and story, our own bodies, each other, and with hope.
Welcome to the first installment of “Hold Fast,” our Lenten podcast. In this segment, Pastor Sean reminds us of the deep, unending love of God as we look back on the difficulties of the past year. We invite you into a season of hope as we look forward with expectation to what God has in store for us in this season.
Pastor Sean Palmer begins a new series that will guide us toward Resurrection Sunday as the journey of Lent continues. Engaging with the practices undertaken by Jesus during the night he was betrayed, Sean leads us to consider first the vitality of serving others; following in the example of our Savior.
Pastor Chris Seay concludes our series in Ecclesiastes, as Solomon honestly reflects upon his failures and calls us to learn from the wisdom of his experience. When we commit to being real with God, with ourselves, and with others, we help to cultivate space for others to do the same, and to create communities of truth and trust.
In the wake of the widespread impact felt by Winter Storm Uri, Pastor Sean Palmer continues our time together in the wisdom and mystery of the Book of Ecclesiastes with a timely reminder that none of us are immune to disaster and suffering. We are called to be a people with instinctual empathy and solidarity in these inevitable times of trial, while also living fully and joyfully in these fleeting days under the sun.
Pastor Chris continues our time engaging with the wisdom found in the Book of Ecclesiastes. As we look ahead to the season of Lent, traditionally a time of abstaining, you might be keenly aware of the things which have already been given up over the course of a challenging year. Chris urges us to shift our perspective about this invitation into fasting, and enter into these “solemn” weeks with surprising joy and gratitude.
Pastor Chris continues to walk us through key lessons from the Book of Ecclesiastes. As many of us seek to establish and practice new rhythms, the wisdom of Solomon reminds us that satisfaction will not be found in what we can accumulate or achieve, but primarily in the relationships that we have the opportunity to nurture.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues the conversation we began last week; engaging with the book of Ecclesiastes and what it reveals about our search for meaning and purpose in life. Will we cling to the things we know will fade, or turn our attention and energy toward the things that will outlive these days under the sun?
As we continue seeking God’s direction to meet both the possibilities and the challenges of this new year, Pastor Chris invites us to examine our own patterns which are so often repeated and leave us feeling stuck. Learning from the past, and committing anew to discipline in the present, we pray for Jesus to show us the way as we step with trust into the days and months ahead.
Pastor Chris Seay urges us to consider how the radical transformation of the Apostle Paul speaks to our role as followers of Christ in a time of division. Opposing hate is only the beginning. The more challenging work to which we are called amid the turmoil is choosing connection across places of disagreement and difference.
Through the story of Jacob, guest speaker Ericka Graham guides us to understanding that acknowledgement of our true selves is the pathway to true belonging.
Pastor Sean brings us into the new year reminding us that without our willingness to change, 2021 won’t bring the changes we desire. Through the teachings of Jesus in the gospels, Sean shows us how a sober view of reality, being intentional, and choosing wisdom set us up to be people able to be changed.
As we continue celebrating the joy of Christmastide, Pastor Mike Yager offers a message of hope as we look ahead to the new year. The Incarnation once again reminds us that God keeps his promises, and offers the invitation to trust anew today; releasing the weight that hinders us from living fully in the moment to which we have been called, and committing to do so in community.
As we look ahead to our Christmas celebration, Pastor Chris Seay reflects upon the incredible transformations that have taken place in communities near and far due to your faithfulness and generosity. As we seek again to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all, we anticipate the ways that God will continue to change us, and the whole world, through our participation in this sacred season.
To find out more, and to take part as we gather our best gifts to Jesus as a family to provide clean water around the world, click here.
“Til he appeared, and the soul felt its worth…” When we think about the incarnation, are we struck by the same sense of awe that meets us in the presence of natural grandeur? God’s loving act of drawing near to us is as intimate as it is cosmic.
Pastor Chris Seay invites us to consider once again the tenets which guide us into living a different kind of Christmas. As we seek to worship fully, spend less, give more, and love all, we anticipate the ways that God will continue to change us, and the whole world, through this sacred season. Join us in this ongoing Advent Conspiracy. To find out more, and to take part as we gather our best gifts to Jesus as a family to provide clean water around the world, click here.
You've heard it so many times you've probably forgotten, but Jesus arrives in the strangest package, flesh and bone, skin and blood. But what on earth does that mean? Why does it matter that Jesus is human? And don't we need God to be more than that?
Pastor Sean Palmer invites us to remember what the apocalyptic vision of Revelation tells us about the world into which Jesus is born. When we neglect to see Christmas as the hopeful scene of a cosmic battle, it becomes easy to instead focus upon the sanitized and distorted version offered by a culture of accumulation and consumption.
Welcome back to “A Thrill of Hope,” a podcast and simultaneously an invitation — an invitation to slow down, remembering all that is true of Christ: who He was and is, His coming, His kingdom, and His love.
In this second installment, Julie Ramos confronts the sense of weariness she and many others have felt this year, as she reminds us of the promises of God fulfilled in Jesus’ coming and in our daily lives. She invites us to move, and to recognize the movement of God in our midst that restores our hope and leads us to rejoice.
Pastor Chris Seay invites us into the season of Advent, in which we remember and await Jesus’ coming. As part of a global family of faith, we believe that we are called especially in this season to share joyfully from our abundance, and we will continue doing so as a church family this year by partnering with efforts to bring clean water to places in desperate need. Chris enters the scriptures to remind us that generosity springs from a grateful heart, and suggests practices to grow us in gratitude.
Welcome to “A Thrill of Hope,” a podcast and simultaneously an invitation — an invitation to slow down, remembering all that is true of Christ: who He was and is, His coming, His kingdom, and His love.
In this inaugural installment, Pastor Sean highlights our seemingly innate desire for tradition, especially during this time of year. He asks what we are to do when our situation mandates that those traditions change or even cease. But is Advent the tradition, or is it possibly meant to be a disruption to the mundane?
Pastor Sean Palmer teaches from Matthew 16; inviting us to consider the ways that the religious and cultural expectations of the anticipated Messiah in Jesus’ day mirror our own gravitation to the conqueror rather than the suffering servant. The path Jesus has given us is not one of power and coercion, but instead the faithful obedience to take up our cross and follow him.
Ericka Graham invites us to look again to the story of Moses and the burning bush, offering the important reminder that practices which grow our mindfulness and attention are only a first step. It is when looking up in wonder and awe becomes a habitual discipline that we might hear God’s voice calling to us more clearly.
Pastor Chris Seay reminds us, navigating a climate of such division, that our true citizenship is not a question of nation or party-platform, but the belonging in which we all share as members of God’s kingdom. Teaching from the Sermon on the Mount, Chris invites us to recenter our hearts and lives as we seek to walk the narrow path of Jesus’ expansive love.
Pastor Sean Palmer guides us to consider the difference between hope and optimism. God offers us an assured hope which dispels worry about tomorrow, and instead empowers us to live today as though heaven has already come. What are you waiting for?
Pastor Chris Seay, with a special appearance from our brother Marcelo Robles, reminds us that the heart of Christianity is not a checklist of regulations, but an invitation into relationship with God. He urges us to consider how we might renew a sense of friendship with our creator, through intentional time, nurture, and care.
Pastor Sean Palmer invites us into three parables that Jesus chooses to tell together, and the common theme that binds them; the mistakes made when we forget to live and prioritize our lives in a way that remembers that the Master is coming back! Meeting others with kindness and attentiveness, and seeking always to use our gifts to bless and serve, we live expectant that we will encounter the Divine.
Pastor Chris Seay shares some of the lessons he has learned from the life and teaching of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who spoke pointedly to the Church in a time of great crisis. We ask God to guide us as we seek a balance between growth through solitude and the vital gift of community, as we learn to love one another well in all our imperfections, and as we abide in hope to be a faithful church in this ever-changing world.
Pastor Sean Palmer looks to Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, inviting us to consider the ways that our culturally distorted idea of “the good life” has resulted in anxiety and worry. God knows, sees, and cares about the many concerns we have in this life, and calls us to seek first the Kingdom, to relinquish our false sense of control, and to trust that God will provide for our true needs.
Pastor Chris Seay offers us a vital reminder of the great diversity exemplified by the early church. Especially during this cultural moment of such toxic division, followers of Jesus are to live into a different narrative, shaped by curiosity and open-mindedness, loving grace for those with whom we disagree, and the elusive hope of unity.
Pastor Chris Seay invites us to consider how we are called to live into the rhythms of Jesus in both giving and receiving care. Especially at a time in which the needs of our neighbors are so vast and so many, we ask God to meet and guide us in our particular places of heartbreak. May God help us to be vessels of grace, filled to then be shared in loving care of others.
Pastor Sean Palmer asks us to consider the call of the Great Commission at the end of the Gospel of Matthew in light of the peculiar limitations of this season. Wherever we are sent or called to dwell, the gift Jesus gives and invites us to embody is presence.
Pastor Chris Seay teaches once again from the church-site of our friends in Lake Charles, Louisiana as we continue to respond in care for our neighbors in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. As we are reminded in the story of Nehemiah, empathy calls us not to draw back while others are suffering, but to take action while leaning into relationship.
Pastor Chris Seay teaches from Louisiana as we seek to respond in care for our neighbors in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. God never promised that we wouldn’t be given more than we can handle. Instead we are called from temptation and idolatry to rely ever more on God, and on one another, in all that overwhelms us.
Pastor Sean Palmer teaches from the story of healing at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5. Our desires are not inconsequential or insignificant to God, but it is when we ask and allow God to transform our wrong desires that we discover the right ones, that those desires would result in choices aligned with God’s will.
ScriptureJohn 5: 1-9
WorshipI Need Thee Every Hour
Thy Mercy, My God
Open Up
Brokenness Aside
Pastor Chris Seay leads us to consider our understanding of sin, and particularly sins of omission. Where have we failed to act; to ask, give, fight, and encourage in the ways that God has called us? We can either let guilt to become shame that keeps us stagnant, or allow it to urge us toward seeking forgiveness, restored relationships, and transformation.
It is always a great joy to have a visit from our friend and brother, the incomparable Bob Goff, and we are grateful for the encouraging word he brought to share. When we see through the distractions, we are granted the opportunity to grow in genuine interest for those around us; which is the first step toward love.
Our beloved sister, Jeanne Stevens, shares an important message to reflect on how the darkness of life helps us notice the light around us.
Our thanks again to Jeanne and Soul City Church
We are grateful to have been joined by our brother Jarrett Stevens, sharing a beautiful and needed word from Joshua 3 on prayer as our participation toward the movement of God that is already happening. Are we simply waiting, or are we intentionally moving in the direction we are asking God to move, trusting that he is already preparing upstream what is flowing to meet us as we pray expectantly and act in faith?
Our thanks again to Jarrett and Soul City Church
Our beloved sister, Shauna Niequist, shares with us an encouragement to trust in God’s provision for what you need each day. As we are navigating the challenges and unknown of this time in our world, her words are a much needed reminder.
To learn more about Shauna, you can click here - https://www.shaunaniequist.com/
Pastor Sean Palmer considers our love of God as a call toward a deeper embrace of the truth; not the partial-”truths” distorted to serve selfish agendas and to tear one another down, but that which requires us to embrace (perhaps uncomfortable and unfamiliar) virtue and humility as God shapes us in faithfulness.
Pastor Sean Palmer enters Jesus’ teaching to the crowd gathered in John 8 on the true nature of freedom. Freedom is not simply the absence of burden or the abundance of choice, but instead about the truth of the reality into which God invites us to fully live. Our freedom is given for the love of the world; that in its sharing, everyone would be set free.
Ericka Graham invites us to remember some of the primary lessons of the Psalms; that God calls us to bring the full spectrum of our emotion and experience to him, and to do so in community. As we continue trudging through the challenges of this season, may we not only share in lament, but also the thanksgiving and praise that breaks through the significant heartache.
Pastor Sean Palmer reminds us that when God asks us to call him Father, it is not about maleness, but is painting the picture of the relationship he desires with us. As we pause to acknowledge with gratitude our flawed earthly fathers, we look together to our perfect Father in Heaven and his family into which we’ve been born.
Pastor Chris Seay teaches from Psalm 32; prompting us to look to the coming weeks, a summer unlike any we’ve experienced, as an invitation. This time of great disruption has reminded us of the gift and privilege that is our very breath, challenged many among us to repent of our part in systems of generational trauma, and encouraged us all to faithfully make steps into the work to which God has called us.
Pastor Sean Palmer continues our revisiting of the Rhythms of Ecclesiaby considering the binding of Isaac, and the challenge faced by Abraham as he endeavored to faithfully Seek God. The God we seek is a God of love and promises kept, far removed from the idols and systems that ask us to sacrifice our own humanity, and that of others, at their false altars.